Be My Girlfriend!
by Segunda Katigbak
Summary: KYOUYA/OC. When love comes around, everything changes. -REPOSTED, UPDATED-
1. Preface

Be My Girlfriend

Prologue

Dedicated to **PurpleSkye** because I love her so much for smothering my stories with great reviews!

Re-worded, unbeta-ed. I ran it through grammar check but we all know computers are stupid.

**-**

"Akiko," I heard someone speak and I instantly stopped on my tracks. The voice was male—a little deep but still sounding somewhat boyish. The voice somehow sounded a little restrained, as if the speaker was trying to maintain cool. The next words, however, sounded a bit too off and too gruff. "We can still work this out."

Whoa, wait a minute. A break-up scoop? This is big time.

I hid behind a large shrub so I can have a better look at the scene. Who knows what kind of information I might get and tip the media in this? They'd probably pay me for what I know. After all, this school I was dumped into was that kind of institution with students who never fail to hit the newspaper companies. I'll be able to pay my debt to the landlady of my dorm if I used this. I could see the newspaper headlines reading—young love between two heirs of two prestigious companies, separated against their will because of certain family feuds. It'll hit them good but compensate me better.

"No Kyouya," the girl named Akiko bit back firmly as she attempted to remain her own cool. Poor guy.

"It's over. You can have all the fun you want with the host club. I was just another one of your play things, wasn't I? I know you were just using me because of my family."

I leaned forward so I can have a better look at the guy's face—jet-black hair, metal-rimmed glasses, grey eyes, strong jaw—typical pretty boy, I might add. Somehow, I feel a little sympathy over him though.

"Please," he begged and that was all he said. I squinted closer and I could see his forehead wrinkle and his lips tug down to a frown.

"No. I'm sorry."

With those final words, Akiko left, her shoulders brushing against his broad ones as she walked past. For a moment, he stood there quietly, his face a little more emotionless, as if trying to compose himself.

I shuffled forward and closer to the bushes and I could tell that he was disappointed about what just happened. Of course, who wouldn't be? I've been dumped a few times before back in middle school and trust me; the feeling makes you want the earth to swallow you whole.

_Snap._

Oh, crap! The twig I was holding suddenly split into two and I froze. Too stunned, I couldn't move a single muscle.

"Is someone there?" he called out. I've been discovered! I pinned my body against the wall in a futile attempt hide myself. Curse it!

"Who are you?"

I jumped at the sudden sound and next thing I knew, he was already looming behind me. "Uhm, I—"

"How much have you heard?" he asked as I stood quiet, unmoving_. Don't look at my face . . . don't look at me._ I closed my eyes to avoid eye contact.

And then, he did. He shifted his position and held me captured by trapping the sides of my head with both his arms. The back of my head hit the wall and my heartbeat sped up double time. I swallowed hard and knew I'm done for.

"How much have you heard?" he repeated as I swallowed again and looked up to see his eyes. The moment our gazes met, I hastily looked away. His grey eyes were piercing, as if trying to bear holes all over my face. If he had laser vision, I must have melted in a pile of goo beneath his feet.

"I didn't hear anything!" I shouted loudly in reply. I shifted position uncomfortably. "I didn't hear her tell you that you used her for money and that she broke up with you because you were spending so much time with the host club and then—"

A twitch in the eye and a Glower of Doom.

Oh, crap.

I really am done for.

-

The backseat of the limousine was cold. The temperature in the car was even colder than that outside. I scooted farther away from my captor as he sneered over his laptop. He was creeping the hell out of me.

"So," he started as he dabbed a certain button on the door panel of the car and a sudden barrier that separated the front and the backseat emerged and hid us from the driver—like in Bond movies. I wonder why people do that very often. "Ashina Rei-san."

I jumped in surprise and looked at him incredulously. With my eyebrows wrinkled, and my lips threatening a frown, I opened my mouth to retort. Kyouya beat me to it.

"What do you think should be done?"

Judging with the tone of his voice, I think I should have to jump off a nine-hundred-foot tower and die.

Yep, at the moment, that sounds good.

-

A/N: I'm planning to rewrite my stories this summer, and at the same time make a few more. I have two months left. For those who read this before, thanks for the re-read. For the new readers, thanks for reaching this far. I appreciate reviews, guys.


	2. One

Be My Girlfriend

Chapter One

* * *

It was in the middle of spring and the sakura season's beginning to end. I haven't gotten much chance to see and admire it properly—probably because I was too immersed into so many thoughts that I wasn't able to pay much attention to my surroundings.

I'm Ashina Rei, new student of Ouran Academy, class 2-A.

Ouran is a high-status school, an institution for prestigious people, for wealth, and merely for money. Most of the students here (at least not the scholarship and varsity benefits) belonged to a family of, if not nobles, but of large companies and zaibatsu not only well-known in Japan but worldwide as well. Then, of course, what follows after this is that graduates of Ouran are more or less expected to take over and become leaders of the country.

I would consider it lucky for a commoner like me that I was given one of the rarest opportunity to get in—not as an academic scholar, but a varsity.

But as much I wanted to go through high school silently, work hard on the track team and keep my grades up, things somehow came out of hand. Because of my nonstop curiosity, I got into serious trouble—not to mention with one of the most influential person in the entire student body—Kyouya Ootori, definitely a man not to mess up with.

When I walked in on his break-up conversation with a certain girl named Akiko, I didn't really mean to eavesdrop. Because for one: it was invasion of privacy. And two: I was being nosy.

It was wrong, yet I found myself hiding behind a shrub and watching as the scene unfolded.

Who would have known that this particular pretty-boy would act so . . . scary? Of course, because I was too lucky and too stupid enough, I get to see the dark side of his personality. I could have run away, with my track skills; I could have escaped as soon as he called my name out. But no. Instead of fleeing for my life, I stood frozen as his grey eyes stared at me without remorse. Honestly, if we weren't on the properties of the school and judging with the glint of his glasses that time, he could have swallowed me whole.

Somehow, I'm glad I was spared. At least he didn't send me off in a remote island and banished me from Japanese soil like what I've imagined. To be honest, he could set off a phobia, if there was such a thing. I doubt if I could even keep up with a class with him so I asked the chairman if I could have my schedule changed so we wouldn't be on the same group. But the chairman declined and demanded me an acceptable excuse.

For now, I've decided to keep my mouth shut and live in peace. I don't have a choice, do I? I'm trying my best to forget about the incident and pretend it never happened.

"Rei-chan!" I heard someone call out as I squinted across the field. I sat on one of the benches alongside the track field while dabbing the sweat on my neck. Lunch practice finished early and I was slacking off, with a little extra time for practice of course.

Pushing the thoughts away from my head, I gave a smile as Ruka jogged up to me and handed me a can of coke.

I met Ruka in the canteen on my first day when nobody seemed to be trying to interact with me. She gave the first smile and the first friendly introduction I've received since I entered Ouran and since then, I was stuck with her. I've always admired Ruka's blonde curls since each time she goes out in the sun, the strands reflect the light, making it look like her hair was reflecting a rainbow.

"I've been looking all over for you," she panted as she occupied the seat beside me. "Have you heard?"

I popped the can open and took a large swig. Clearly, rumors nowadays are getting out of hand. The last I heard was about the Hitachiin twins dumping a poor girl for the third time this week. And let me not forget Suou's gracious fall on the stairs yesterday after apparently missing a step. Although it couldn't be considered as a rumor since I saw it with my own eyes, but anyway,

"About what?" I asked out of sheer curiosity as I brought the can up to my lips.

"Ootori Kyouya and Yamasaki Akiko broke up."

Soda came spurting out of my mouth and nose as I choked on it. Damn. That hurts.

"Are you all right?" Ruka asked as she brought her handkerchief up to my nose and I have to stop the tears from welling up.

"Yeah," I managed to gasp as I wiped my face with the sleeve of my jersey. "Where did you hear that?"

I swear to the heavens that I never opened my mouth and had that rumor slip out of my tongue.

"It's all over the high school department," she continued as a matter-of-factly. "All the girls on our class are making their own way of confessing to Ootori-san right now."

Oh well, at least Ootori would be too busy to bother me this afternoon.

"I'm not interested with that stuff," I told her right away as I threw the empty can on the nearby trash bin. I wouldn't want to mess up with those fangirls acting like a guard dogs, sniffing Ootori's scent around. And I wouldn't want to trip over my own feet again and land over his wrath. I'm too busy to think about the rental fee of my dorm to care.

* * *

(afternoon, after classes)

Ruka was missing. I've been looking all over for her but I can't find her anywhere. She told me she had something important to take care of but I haven't seen her since early this afternoon. After school track practice was finished and I already took a quick shower to look for her but she was nowhere to be found.

"Ruka!" I called out, my voice echoing across the empty hallway. It was nearing sundown and I was getting late for my part time job. Dammit, Ruka, where are you? Where are cell phones when you need them?

Suddenly, I stopped my pace when I heard her voice. "Will you go out with me?"

_Eh? Who—?_

"I couldn't find any profitable reason why I should," a cold, familiar voice replied and I tried my best not to burst into their conversation and punch that guy square in the face. How could he? "I'm sorry?"

'I'm sorry,' he says? How can he say those words without any tone of sincerity? How can he break Ruka's heart like this?

I heard her sob quietly and I wanted to reach for her and comfort her but something was stopping me. And then, suddenly, I heard a tapping of footsteps and she had run away.

So help me, I'll strangle this little bastard!

I emerged from my hiding spot and marched my way up to that rascal and kick him on the groin for my own luxury.

"You—!" I shouted at the top of my voice and pointed an accusing finger up to his face but as soon as I started my threat, I froze. And then, nausea rushed in.

"You're just the right girl I'm looking for," the cool voice of Ootori spoke with a large smirk. "We have a lot to talk about.

* * *

And now, I find myself sitting on the cold back seat of his car after his body guards dragged me by the arm and forced me inside. I scooted farther away from him as possible.

I cleared my throat and spoke, "Excuse me, but I'm already late for work so please don't waste my time. I still have a lot to do than sit here and pretend we like each other."

My voice sounded so weak. I bit my lower lip cautiously as my heart did another double time. When Ootori's around, I always get these palpitations that always made me feel like something wrong is going to happen.

I heard a clearing of throat somewhere and Ootori proceeded, "We don't like each other."

"I already know that," I told him with a frustrated groan. "What do you want?"

"I'll get this over with quick, because I also don't want to waste time," he said, business like, as he propped his computer on his lap. "You've struck me twice, Ashina-san and I wouldn't let that pass."

"If you're talking about the rumors, I didn't—"

"But I heard."

_But I didn't!_

"Yamasaki Akiko is a very important asset for our business and because we broke up, she's a great loss."

_But I wasn't the one who cause your break up!_

"You're going to help me get her back," he ended firmly with a hint of authority on his voice.

"But I'm not really involved here," I complained aloud.

I heard another clearing of throat and Ootori leaned in to intimidate me more. He ran his fingers up to the bridge of his nose, as if calming himself and it gave me a good idea of strangling him. "The moment you eavesdropped on our conversation, you already got yourself involved."

I prepared to make another complain but he beat me to it.

"Be my girlfriend."

It took me a while before my brain comprehended his words and I coughed twice.

"Pardon, Ootori?"

"You may go now."

_What does that mean?_

"How does that solve anything?" This time, I raised my voice.

"I have my own personal reasons," he said as his fingers danced over the keyboard.

"And what are those exactly?" I inched closer in an attempt to intimidate him as much as he did to me. However, it wasn't working.

"You're free to go now," he finally said as he looked at me with a wide smirk on his face.

"You didn't answer my question," I managed through clenched teeth. One more strike and I'm done with this. I'll be more than eager to wrap my fingers around his throat and choke him until his lungs are out of air.

"You need not to know."

My door opened and a middle-aged man with neat, blonde hair bowed and smiled at me. I sat back down stubbornly. "I refuse to leave."

"I wouldn't want to drag my girlfriend—" I flinched at the word "—out of the car, right?"

"I'm not your girlfriend."

I grabbed my backpack and clamped the straps securely on my shoulders as I stepped out of the car. When the blonde bodyguard closed the door, I gave it a hard kick before running for my life.

* * *

"How was your school, honey?" my mother asked as I put the telephone on loud speaker. I just came back from work and a warm bath was too good to resist. Stripping my clothes off, I soaked my sore body on the tub.

"School's fine," I told her, skipping through the details in case she'd ask. On one hand, it was a disaster but on the other hand, at least I had new friends on the track club. "Did dad come back home?"

"Who would want that guy to be back here?" she complained and I could imagine how she would wrinkle her nose in disgust.

When I started junior high, my parents were already off terms. They argued a lot (mostly because of money and my mom's suspicion of an affair on dad's part) and because my father was sick of my mom being a blabbermouth, he left the house. Later on, we learned he moved in a village in Osaka with another woman and he never got in touched since then. Although I have a small grudge towards my father, there are a few times when I'd find myself missing him.

"Hey, shortie!" I heard my brother's booming voice call out. "Any guys you've hooked up with?"

I frowned and aimed the phone a look of abolition.

"Yuu, stop that!" I heard my mom yell and smack him beside the ear. She turned back to me. "Are you sure you don't want me to send you allowance?"

Our family is poor and I know how much my mom would strive twice as hard just to get us through the day. At least the part time job could help me allowance-wise.

"Don't worry about me," I assured her. "I've got everything in control. And I'm doing pretty well with my part time job."

"If you need anything, just call me."

"I will. I promise."

"Okay, good bye for now."

"Bye-bye!"

"Go to sleep early, okay?"

I heard my brother's voice call out from somewhere in a distance. I could imagine him crane his neck back from the food he was smuggling in the fridge. "Say my regards to her."

"Your brother says hi."

"I heard him."

Click.

I sighed quietly as I raised my leg up. My lower limbs were aching a little because of the extra sprinting I've done after practice. But I'm glad I've done quite good job with my hundred-meter dash. My coach even said I reached a new record of fourteen seconds. At least it was better than my previous record though. I smiled lightly to myself. I'll keep it up and do my best.

I remember Ootori and what he told me earlier, whatever he was blabbering about. It was giving me a headache, to be honest, so I guess I shouldn't pay any more attention to him. Besides, there're a lot more to think about—like my landlady landing me hysterics in the morning for delaying the payment of my rent. I need to find another part time job soon, I decided as I submerged my head under the water.

This is going to be another long semester.


	3. Two

Be My Girlfriend

Chapter Two

-

I've never had part time jobs before but somehow, since I stayed here in the city, I found the need to have two jobs at the same time to get enough pay for my rent and for my allowance. I'd have Thursday and Wednesday afternoons at the café and Fridays and Saturdays for the convenient store.

The cold, morning breeze blew chills at the back of my head and I had to pull my pullover closer to my shoulders to keep myself from shivering. Too bad my landlady confiscated my bike because my rent was due last week and she had to keep it for a while as an assurance that I'll pay her back. I _will_ pay her back as soon as I get my paycheck from the coffee shop and the convenient store I'm working on.

-

I was surprised to be greeted with silence when I entered the room. Normally, I would always be ignored whenever I walk in and take my seat and only Yuka would wave up to me and call out a cheery good morning and I'd ask her if I could copy her math assignment.

But this time, it was absurdly quiet. Maybe because a blabbering Tamaki wasn't here yet, I couldn't tell.

I cleared my throat and made my way up to my seat, with a creepy feeling that every eye in the classroom was boring holes all over my body. When I settled my things on my desk, I turned to look at the crowd that gathered in front of me.

Narrowing my eyebrows in curiosity and suspicion, I fired to ask, "Is there something wrong with my face?"

Silence. No one even bothered to answer my question and went on with the staring. I shrugged them off and pushed my chair back. It would be better if I'd get away from them for a while. Maybe when I come back, they'd shut off. "Uhm, excuse me."

I almost reached the when I decided to turn head back to take another look. As soon as I snapped my head to their direction, different pairs of eyes were still set upon me, as if I was a prey that they would slaughter for food later on.

"Can you stop with the gawking," I snapped and stared back at them, deciding to win my side over a staring contest. Damn with them what is happening all of a sudden? "It's a little . . . awkward."

One strawberry-blonde stepped forward with her arms crossed, and one of her eyebrows disappearing dangerously behind her bangs that covered almost one-third of her face. "Are you dating Ootori-sama?"

I guess most people die because of sudden shock up to the point that they forget how to breathe. Perhaps I wasn't hearing right? Or maybe my senses were just playing games because I hadn't gotten much sleep last night.

"Excuse me?"

"We heard."

"Then, you hear wrong." It was rather defensive, might I add. "Who would spread such--?"

All of sudden, I was carelessly pushed forward as the door spread wide open and I bumped my head slightly against the nearest vase propped on a tall stand as it toppled slightly out of balance and I was just in time to catch it before it fell on the floor.

I turned to look at the perpetrator when I was suddenly greeted by Ootori's 'warm' smile that must have melted every girl's heart. If only they knew how much he was fooling the world with that smile.

"My, my, Rei-chan," he spoke, his voice cool and seemingly quite trying to be lovingly sweet.

"Ootori-san," the same strawberry-blonde spoke to him with a nicer voice. "Are the rumors true?"

I wouldn't care less with whatever they want to think or with whatever he wanted them to believe as I massaged the slight bump that formed noticeably on my forehead. If I could throw him off a cliff so I could live my life the way I used to, I'd do whatever it takes to do it.

All of a sudden, I was once again thrown out of balance as a pair of arms pulled me to in one sudden jerk and my forehead landed forcefully against his chest. A bevy of Ootori's rabid fangirls, which seemingly were not included on the strawberry-blonde's cronies and appeared out of the blue, squealed in excitement as he pulled me closer, crushing my face further than it already was. I could push him away and beat him up until I'm satisfied. But of course, I don't have enough guts and back-up people to that.

"Let me go!"

A clearing of throat came heard and silence ensued once again. I craned my head up to see who it was and Ootori's previous girlfriend raised her eyebrow up, almost to one inch.

I groaned and struggled to push him away but he held his grip and I had to curse under my breath to restrain from stomping on his feet. Another reason I'm keeping my cool is that if I snapped and my violent side took over, I might end up disappearing over the face of the earth.

"Ootori, let go!"

"Rei-chan, stop struggling."

What's with the sudden change of honorifics? And I wouldn't even struggle if he wasn't just trying to pull my head of in the first place.

"I see you've gotten over our break-up, Kyouya." It was Akiko who interrupted us both as I almost forgot that the whole class had their eyes on us. Can I have the permission to disappear over the face of the earth right now? Should I beg and prostrate myself before whoever would grant me the permission to do so? "I hope you're happy."

With a smirk and a raised eyebrow, she left me with my jaw hanging wide open and with Ootori loosening his grip on my head. Thank God.

-

I just finished taking my after-practice shower when Ootori showed his face up on the locker room and I jumped in surprise when he sneaked behind my back and tried to give me a heart attack. I'd probably die early because of this.

"What do you want?" I asked while folding my jeans and stuffing it back on my bag. I looked up to him as he scrutinized the whole room. "Besides, this is the girls' locker room. Do you want to get caught?"

He ignored my question

"Are you done?"

"Yes, I'm—"

He pulled and dragged me out of the locker room and pushed me inside the back seat of his limousine.

-

We arrived in front of a large building that I wasn't familiar with. I bet he's going to pull me inside and mutilate my precious body to death. I'd better run for it. Thank God for my sprinting skills.

"Ootori," I spoke as I tried to catch up with him. I don't even know why I followed him in the first place anyway. "Where are we going?"

We tackled a fight of stairs when he answered my question. "I'll have you made a custom-fit uniform for you. If you have to be my girlfriend, you shouldn't strut around the school with that pair of baggy clothes."

I could have appreciated the sentiment, if only he didn't insult my choice of clothes.

-

Our manager walked up to where we cleaned the table and smiled. Ootori dropped me to the coffee shop (thank him), after we finished with the dress-shop. The uniform fit perfectly well and it clung nicely on my body. I wasn't used to wearing skirts past my knees unlike junior high but I guess I'll get used to it. I've never worn a skirt outside of school and of work before anyway.

"Rei-chan," she chimed while occupying the seat beside the table I was cleaning.

"Hm?"

"I wonder who that guy is."

I cocked my head to one side to pick up the right words to describe what Ootori is to me without sounding harsh.

"Just someone I know, Megumi-san," I told her. She pouted childishly and blew a stray of her dyed hair out of her face.

"A re you sure he was just someone you know?" she queried further. "He was so nice to drive you up here. He even called you Rei-chan."

I tried not to scowl. "I don't really like him."

-

"Rei-chan?"

I arrived at my apartment door and I was just in time to put the key on when my landlady called out my name. "Nakajima-san?"

"I'm sorry to say but your rent's due tomorrow and you're two months late. I won't hold you bike much longer if you promise me you could pay in due time."

I pouted in dismay as my eyebrows became almost one. I have to pay two months of my rent and I have only saved up to a quarter of the total bill.

"I'm trying my best Nakajima-san," I grimaced while crossing my fingers behind my back. I guess I have to skip school tomorrow and find an easy-money job to work on if I don't want to get kicked out.

-


	4. Three

Be My Girlfriend

Chapter Three

-

There must have been a few instances that happened in my life that made me realize I wasn't putting my best effort on things I want to accomplish. A few ups and downs could have been recorded in mi kind of history. I had several bumps on walls here and there yet I continue to walk with a blindfold on and act like a usual idiot as if I've never learned anything from my mistakes.

Skipping school must top the list and often would I be called in the faculty room of my middle school for disciplinary measures. My mom, in spite of her poor health (that might have been triggered when dad left for another woman), would be dragged along. My brother would make me feel ten times as guilty than I should have until I burst into tears and run to her room and shout an apology while burying my face on her pillows. She would always forgive me and I would promise not to do it again. Until then, I kept my precious promise.

Promises are meant to be broken anyway.

Rushing my way through the busy crowd, I dodged over a few heads and groans of disapproval while trying my best to keep the pizza box intact. Shit or no shit, I have to earn some money until tonight before I get kicked out of the apartment, even though I doubt that it would be enough for the rent I'm due for two months. The scooter I was supposed to be mounting on stood useless behind an out of order telephone booth: main reason why I'm running for my delivery right now.

As soon as I touched the highway, the engine (that must have been a hundred years older than me) broke down and forced me to kick up a fuss in the middle of the road while I smashed it repeatedly with my helmet. A few curses later, I gave up and decided the delivery was more important than killing an inanimate object, which would obviously deem useless.

In spite of my innate ability of getting lost, a few minutes later, I found the right place and a half-naked red-haired guy greeted me with a faked, gentle smile, which kind of reminded me of Ootori. He tipped me double saying I delivered it a few minutes early and because I looked cute. Gosh, this part is what I hate about my job. Customers are strangers and strangers are more often than not, cannot be trusted. What happened to the good ol' 'Don't talk to strangers,' oracle chant?

When I got back to the shop, exhausted and spent (because I sprinted my way back), I consumed a whole liter of water and slumped on the corner where Shiki stood.

If you ask me about stereotypes, Shiki was one of those people who could pass as a high school guy who always got into serious trouble and who had the greatest number of girls around. At least for one thing, I was right. He always got into trouble. With his brown eyes and long ink-black hair, which he sported with a half-pony, he would have half of our female customers fall for him with a simple smile (and a single dimple) and a gentle face. But it always puzzled me why he never seemed interested to any of them. He could pass to me as a gay stereotype but then again, most of my guesses are always not right.

"What's up? You look haggard," he poked my cheek playfully and I failed to manage to give him an assuring smile.

"I'm broke." I told him. "I need money for my apartment rent," I pouted childishly and buried my face on my hands.

"Then why don't you ask your mom to send you some allowance?" he suggested rather boringly as he rummaged his pockets for some gum.

I gave him a glare and restrained myself from smacking my hand against the side of his head. "We're not rich, you know."

My mom's paycheck wouldn't even be enough to support her. She needed money for her medications due to her poor health and I know she has been working herself too much just to get them through, which is totally not a good idea. Seriously, over-work simply worsens things. It's also a good thing my brother is there to keep an eye on her in case something happens. And it's good enough that in spite of everything she's going through, she remains just as vivacious as ever.

"I guess I have to resort to loan sharks," I sighed. They've bottomed my list of options to where I would be able to get some money but I never knew I'm going to choose them in the end.

Shiki smacked me on the forehead painfully and added, "Not a good idea at all. Just go to your rich friends at school and ask help. They won't be full of shit (I guess)."

In a split-second, I shot up and to pat his head with a smile. I guess I have another option after all.

-

Standing in front of the gate of the Ootori mansion is definitely a bad idea. After all, why did I even think of running to his aid in the first place? This is all piece of crap. Ootori is one of the people I don't like to see right now, not after he humiliated me in front of the whole class by declaring I'm his woman.

I hate him.

"Ashina?"

A voice called my name out and I recoiled. When I turned to look, Ootori stood there on his glorious bearing, as if he was the god of a tribe of some sort, his oh-so-lavish car parked right next to where he stood.

"Skipping school because of work overtime is a bad idea, you think so?"

He made his way up to me and I looked down, completely humiliating myself all over again. I mentally debated whether I should just go and run away or should I just let my guard down and borrow money from this guy.

"Ditching is a serious crime. Not to mention, working part time without the school's permission."

"I need this job!" It was rather harsh, I have to admit. I guess I just have to say sorry later.

I kept my eyes locked on my shoelaces.

"Hn—Ootori-san?"

"What is it?"

Okay, damned or not, I'd have to drop my pride and say it. "Lend me 50 thousand yen."

Silence—

"Pft." Next thing I knew, he was clutching his sides as his mirth dragged on.

I swear I'll strangle him to death.

-


	5. Four

**Be My Girlfriend Chapter Four**

**Manslaughter**

**By: moipaintsasmile**

--

The house was a little too overrated, just a little too over. Sometimes, I wonder why rich people buy too many things, most of which they simply hide away or display in one corner of a long-winding hallway and let each accumulate dust. If I were the one to receive the money they were wasting for busts and statuettes, I'd buy my mom medication, buy us a new house, and get my brother a car. The rest would probably go to charity and my tuition, in case I lose the scholarship.

There were paintings hanging on the walls of the hallway, which was seemingly endless. Ootori was probably leading me somewhere where he can slaughter me to death and sell my organs for donation and transplant.

Shudder at the thought twice and barf on his shoes three times.

"Hey, where are you taking me?" I asked, skipping a few steps to catch up with his fast pace.

"I don't know," he shrugged his shoulders casually. "Probably in a dark, soundproof room where I can slaughter you to death. Our hospital needs organ donations."

Okay, maybe barfing on his shoes wasn't a bad idea after all.

"Hey, Ootori, did you hear what I told you on the car park?" I asked him while brushing the thought of manslaughter off. "Were you even listening?"

"What do you think?"

"Uh," I paused for a while and struggled to catch up with him again. "No."

He stopped abruptly and glanced behind, drawing a cringe and a few goose bumps from his 'glare' victim. He started walking again when he saw me gulp.

"If I were you, I'd rather keep quiet," he told me in a low voice. "This hallway has never been too disturbed before."

"Tch," I snorted while pursing my lips and biting my tongue to keep myself from berating him.

--

A few moments later, he stopped in front of a large, ornate door. He told me to wait on the hall before he slipped inside and disappeared behind it. I bit my tongue again, crossed my arms and looked around.

The hallway was a lot wider here. Probably because the lighting was better and the windows were larger. The carpet looked a lot more elegant and I glanced down to my dried mud-soaked shoes. The shoes didn't match the stylish maroon carpet beneath my feet.

There were many times when I dreamed about being rich. I always wondered what it would be like to lie in a warm, king-size bed inside a spacious room, or wake up in the morning, ringing a bell like a princess with your servant bringing your breakfast to bed. Money always had a significant value to me. The Ashina family is poor and we had to struggle everyday. It was a good thing I got the varsity scholarship for Ouran for track and field or I would have to resort to the dilapidated building of the high school department of my old school. Not that I'm complaining about my old school though but it was more than a relief that I was able to enter a prestigious institute.

I paced around the empty hall, observing the statuettes, which stood against the walls. I stopped, my hand rubbing my cheek partly calculating how many more statues of near-naked and completely naked men were displayed along the hallway of the whole house. Which reminds me of the empty hallways inside the school. Perhaps all rich people had an unusual fetish for near-naked men posed smartly like Greek philosophers I've seen on the pages of our sociopolitical textbooks in school.

The statue, which stood beside me, presented himself with much intellect. I would have admired his stance if only he was wearing a robe or a fig leaf or anything almost decent to cover his private parts. I averted my eyes from below to examine his face.

"Do you like posing naked like this?" I asked him, not expecting an answer. Kami knows what would happen if it talked back. I shuddered again at the thought and poked his chest lightly, as if making sure it was not actually alive.

"Do Ootori enjoy the view of your private parts?"

I considered my question for a moment and cringed inwardly. "No. I'd rather you not answer that."

I looked around, double-checking that Ootori was still inside and out of earshot. "Your master is taking quite sometime inside that room, don't you think?"

The statue remained still, much to my relief. "Aren't you quite getting tired of that pose?" I asked him while moving to his side and raising my hands up to rest it upon my cheek, imitating his position. One of his legs was crossed over the other and I moved my left feet to cross it over my right. I pressed my shoulder against his arm to maintain my balance.

"Well, your pose is a little uncomfortable," I winced when I felt a leg muscle suddenly contract and I begin to drop and lose stability. I swear it was by accident when I my elbow knocked against the arm of the statue and it swayed slightly, threatening to topple off balance.

"Shit!" I cursed aloud while fumbling for my reflexes, as I started to fall with the innocent statue below me.

Gravity was betraying. I wondered idly how many deities I've summoned so they can get me out of this hell–er, I mean, mess.

The fall happened so fast I had not sufficient time to react and mutter enough curse words. I landed on top of his behind with my cheek pressed against his shoulder blade. The sound of breaking glass didn't happen, much to my respite. Then I remember statues weren't made of glass and thank Kami. I sighed; pleased that the statue and my soul was spared, and I tried to catch my breath for a few seconds more.

Please don't make Ootori emerge from the room just yet.

Composing myself, I scrambled up to my feet and pulled the statue back up to push it against the wall. The weight was not much of a problem. When I successfully returned it to the spot where it stood before, I wiped the dampness of my forehead with the sleeve of my shirt.

"For a moment, you gave me a scare there," I accused the statue with yet another poke on the chest. My eyes moved down and lingered on the abdomen downwards to find...

"Shit! I castrated him!" I slapped my forehead with much force, it made my head spin a little. I bent down on my knees to look for his private parts, and I cursed again when I found his balls on the maroon carpet...

Please don't let Ootori kill me. I still need to pay my rent.

With my other hand covering my eyes, I picked the statue's private parts up with my fingers and peeked a little so I would know where I should attach it back.

Damn, why does it have to be his balls, for goodness' sake! I need glue!

"Dammit!"

"What are you doing?"

I jumped at the sound of a familiar voice from behind me. I turned my head back to look at him and put my hand cover down. I gulped.

"You seemed to be guilty of something."

"I didn't do anything!" My voice practically squeaked to a higher note. I closed my fist around the statue's private parts and turned to face him with both my hands behind me, my body still covering the murder I've just done.

"It doesn't seem like it."

"There's nothing wrong, I swear."

He moved his head to one side to probably peer over to what I was trying to hide. As a cover-up excuse, I jumped up to startle him. I released one of my hands and grabbed his arm to push him away. I shoved the statue's balls inside my pocket and led Ootori forward and away from the crime scene.

Ootori tried to glance back and I blocked his view with my own head.

"You're acting pretty suspicious," he told me as I freed his arm when the statue was out of sight. We tackled a flight of stairs and I brushed my arm against my moist forehead. That was close.

"Nothing is, I promise," I assured him as I tried to catch my breath. I shoved my hands back to my pockets and...

Shit!

I still have his private parts. I am officially and utterly doomed.

--

My sweat pores seemed unusually large today. I perspired twice as much as I sat on the receiving area of Ootori's mansion, as he handed a brown envelope over to me. The weight of the rock (the statue's balls) on my pocket was also three times as heavy.

"You look rather pale," Ootori observed as he looked over to where I sat.

"I'm fine," I told him while accepting the envelope.

"That's the amount you've asked for." To my relief, he changed the subject quickly. He pulled out a piece of paper from another manila envelope and gave it to me. "You should sign there, as a proof that you're going to pay me back."

"I'll pay you back soon," I assured him. As soon as I get my paycheck for the month, I sure will pay him back.

"I suggest you read it first," he said as I grabbed a nearby pen and signed my name on the bottom left of the paper. "Oh well, it's too late, perhaps. You can read it later then."

"There's no need," I told him. "I'll just leave it to you. Thanks for letting me borrow, by the way."

"Hm," he scoffed. "No problem."

"Uh, can I go now?"

I have to leave. The sooner, the better, before they found out what I've done.

"Wait," he stopped me when I was about to stand. He shoved a hand on his pocket and pulled something out of it. I gulped. It couldn't be a gun, yes?

Oh no, I'm doomed.

"In case I have trouble getting in touch," he explained and I was surprised to see he wasn't holding anything fatal. Instead, a slick, yellow, mobile phone sat on his outstretched palm. "Take it."

"Eh?" I picked it from his hand. "I don't have money to pay for this."

"I added it to your debt," he told me.

"Well, of course." What else could it be? Nothing could ever go free in this world anymore.

"I'm on number one speed dial. Anyway, just read the manual. It's enclosed in the envelope."

"Er," I started with uncertainty. "I guess... Can I go now?"

"Of course," he said. "I'd be glad to."

Sure enough, a lady clad with what I assumed to be a maid's uniform approached me with a warm smile and I stood up. Ootori motioned his hand and gestured me to follow her. She led me out of the house and out of the gate.

"Take care, ma'am," she bid me good bye. Her smile was still there and I could not help but smile back and thank her.

Dusk began to cover the sky and I looked forward to the horizon, which was a canvass of orange, blue and purple colors. I glanced down to the brown envelope on my hand and sighed with relief. It was certain I wouldn't be kicked out of my apartment tonight and I would still be sleeping on a bunk bed for one whole month. At least I didn't forget to thank Ootori for helping me, though. I shoved the envelope inside my bag for safety.

I pushed my hand back on the pocket where the rock was and I cursed myself inwardly. As much as I get to keep my apartment, there awaits me some more trouble, deeper trouble. Meanwhile, I still have to find a way to get this thing back to its owner. Or better yet, find a good way to dispose of it.

--

_To be continued._

_**A/N:**__ I wonder why I'm writing this when I have finals for Natural Science I (combined Chem and Physics) tomorrow? Also written while the TV is on, airing the Pacquiao-Clottey fight. Hail, Pacman! Er, anyway, thanks for keeping up with this story, despite late updates._


	6. Five

Be My Girlfriend

Chapter Five

Credits for _PurpleSkye_ for pointing out my mistakes. Edited and ran through grammar and spell check though still unbeta-ed but hopefully, no more mistakes. Ignore the fragments. I tend to make a lot of them.

-

If you'd ride the bus to school, it would take you at least four minutes until you arrive at the gates. Ten if the bus was late and the traffic was murder, which happens pretty often. If you'd use a bike, it would only take you less than seven minutes if you know the right route to take.

After getting lost a few times in the area before, Shiki helped me find a shortcut, which lead directly to the back gate of the school. It was the closest to the high school building, which cuts my effort to walk or run so I wouldn't be too late for class. Besides, the guard at the back gate was pretty nice. He'd welcome me with a lopsided smile (and a few missing teeth) in the morning before letting me in. I'd leave my bike there and he would take care of it until after dismissal and track practice. Sometimes, when I linger there long enough, he'd share a few stories about his daughter in primary school and his pregnant wife, and I'd be the willing listener. I never get tired of hearing from him.

My seat was the closest to the door. Ever since I've entered school, it has always been the closest to the door. I can't blame my surname but I'm not complaining either. I sat quietly on the front row and much to my relief; the attention of girls wasn't directed to me anymore. Suou-san was in the middle of the room charming them like he always did. The rumors must have quieted down since I skipped school yesterday.

On one hand, it was somewhat a good thing. At least I don't have to worry about getting uncomfortable under their gazes anymore.

The door opened and I looked up. Carefully, as if calculating his every move, Ootori slipped inside and closed it behind him. For a moment, our eyes met and he narrowed them almost instantly. I flinched, remembering the crime I did yesterday, and looked down at my lap to smoothen the wrinkles off my skirt. I tugged the collar of my uniform down to show my discomfort but out of the corner of my eye, I could tell he won't walk away unless he received an explanation. I cleared my throat to tell him I was uncomfortable. He didn't seem to understand.

"So," he started while tapping my desk with his finger. "Where is it?"

I blushed profusely, my eyes averting from my lap to the wall to my right. I cleared my throat again.

"Do you know how much that statue cost?" he asked, his voice firm but calm. It pierced my guilt. I knew he'd find out soon but I never figured he'd point a finger at me and declare me as the prime suspect. I thought about it last night and it could be anyone of the maids who cleaned that part of the house, for all he knew. I wonder what made him think it was me (although it was really me). Maybe because I looked to really guilty and my actions before I left his house were way too suspicious. I realized Kyouya was still talking. "That statue was even shipped from Greece and you have no idea, do you? It was sculpted by an artist named Masaharo Kenji, a great family friend, and it was a gift from him."

Who would give such expensive gift anyway?

I kept silent, waiting for him to go away. He was starting to intimidate me again. I wonder why he was so good at that.

"Do you know that keeping silent is a crime?" he asked. I looked up at him to wrinkle my eyebrows in disapproval but the dangerous glint on his glasses made me cringe and look away again.

"You don't suppose you'd get away with that easily, do you?"

I frowned and shook my head, almost unnoticeably.

"Well then, where is it?"

I swallowed audibly. If I told him it was inside my bag right now, he'd force me to take it out, possibly making me feel humiliated in front of everyone again. He'd probably use it as evidence to make me pay for the damage too. I didn't plan to bring it at school but I figured if I brought it and disposed of it afterward, I'd feel a little less guilty. Or at least that's what I thought. Sometimes, I doubt if my instincts and my way of perception could get me anywhere safe.

"Well?" he poked further and his voice rose to a higher note. I cleared my throat again to relieve my tension. I inhaled deeply and prepared to speak.

"Well, I—"

"Good morning class!" Our History teacher, Yashimoto-sensei, opened the door loudly and shouted at the top of his lungs. "Now, settle down. Settle down. Class is about to start."

I breathed out in respite and wiped the sweat off my forehead. More to my relief, the bell rang, signaling the start of the first period.

-

Lunch was always left-over dinner, which was microwave-ed convenient food. I've never been good at cooking since before and Len always teased me about it, saying I would never be able to attract a guy because the only thing I knew how to cook was instant noodles. But since Shiki got his paycheck on his gasoline station job yesterday and he saw me flag a bus at the station on my way back home, he decided to make sure I got there safe. On the way, he asked if I already ate and he invited me to join him for dinner at a fast-food chain near my apartment.

As such, I didn't get to prepare any lunch today.

I usually ate alone. Ruka typically bought lunch at the cafeteria and I ate in the classroom alone.

The period before lunch just finished and I gathered my books to stuff them inside my bag. Afternoon classes were cancelled for today because of a board meeting but I still have track practice later after lunch. I looked behind to find Ruka and instantly, our eyes met. I waved a hand at her and smiled. She looked away with a frown.

Eh?

Puzzled, I called out her name a little loudly. "Ruka!" The strawberry blonde girl last time snapped at me.

"Will you stop shouting?"

"Sorry," I apologized quickly, picked up mg bag and walked to where Ruka stood. She didn't seem to notice me so I tugged at her sleeve to catch her attention. She suddenly pulled her arm away.

"Don't touch me," she gave me another frown and I returned her a questioning look.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my voice laced with instant worry. "Did I do something?"

"No," she snapped. "You didn't."

Confused, I wrinkled my eyebrows again. I spoke her name. "Ruka."

She turned away and flipped her blonde curls, leaving me frozen behind. I watched as she disappeared behind the door.

-

The high school department had three large canteens. Because I couldn't find Ruka in any of the first two, I searched on the third one. By the time I did so, my insides were groaning in disapproval and I knew I needed food.

I looked around to search for a familiar blonde head but she was nowhere to be found. A male classmate walked past and I called his attention. "Excuse me."

He turned around to look at me with green eyes. "Oh, Ashina. What is it?"

"Have you seen Ruka?"

He paused for a while to ponder my question. "Sorry, but I haven't seen her anywhere."

I frowned and thanked him before walking away. My stomach complained aloud. A few heads turned to my direction and I instantly blushed a deep red. Maybe I should eat first before looking for her. No, wait. Ruka needs me right now so it's not the time to be thinking about food first.

My insides protested again.

I'll just have a few bites, I guess.

I glanced at the line of students queued at the counter and I slipped behind it. When it was my turn, I looked at the order list on the screens overhead and flinched at the amount of each meal.

500,000 yen for combo meal A.

200,000 for regular meal A.

50,000 for meal B. I can pay the rent of my apartment with 50,000 and spare a few change after that.

The attractive female behind the counter who was taking my order gave me a sweet smile. I leaned forward and whispered.

"Is there any meal here that doesn't cost more than 500 yen?"

Her smile turned apologetic. "I'm sorry but there's meal O. It's 700 yen."

Meal O? I glanced up at the screen again and squinted at the small characters under the picture of a large chocolate cake. It was barely noticeable.

"Then I'll have meal O," I told her. She gestured a nod and I waited for my order to arrive.

"You're also a scholarship student, right?" I turned my head to the direction of the voice and a tall guy towered over me. He wore rectangular, black-rimmed glasses, soft brown eyes and a matching neat hair combed to one side.

"Uhm—"

"I'm Hasunobe Misaki," he offered a hand and I shook it briefly. "I'm a junior scholarship student as well." He leaned in to whisper to my ear. "You can call me Nobe-senpai or Misaki-senpai. Whatever you like."

He had a gentle smile and I couldn't help but return it.

-

We ended up at one corner of the canteen, in a small, rounded table beside a large palm-potted plant. He spoke and smiled a lot. He only paused to nibble on his food and after he finished chewing, he'd fire another conversation.

I finished my meal soon and shifted uncomfortably on my seat when I noticed the time. I still need to find Ruka.

"Ano," I started awkwardly, speaking for the first time since he started. "I have to go."

"Hm?" he looked at me. "Go to where?"

"I have to find my friend," I told him. "She seemed a little down and I have to figure out what's bothering her."

"Can I help you?" he offered.

Come to think of it, I have poor direction skills and I'm yet to familiarize myself to the school buildings and passageways. It would be difficult to find Ruka alone if I don't have any idea where to look.

"Can you help me?"

"Of course."

-

When we reached the back gate, the guard told us he saw Ruka's car (as regards to my description) leave school just before lunch. I frowned worriedly, trying to think of what had happened that made her act like that. I've never seen Ruka snap at me before but perhaps something just came up that bothered her. I'll give her space for a while; let her ponder about things overnight. And since it'd be Saturday tomorrow, I'd get her address and ask what happened.

Misaki-senpai and I ended up, much to my surprise, inside a music room on the third floor while waiting for track practice to begin. I heard that the third music room was often used as a club room for the host club but it was surprisingly empty. He told me he often sneaked inside to borrow (through still without permission) the unused cello there and he'd play the instrument inside the empty hall, making each note reverberate against the walls. He said it was one of the things that calmed him down. And maybe he can calm me down with his music because he told me I looked a little stressed out.

He emerged from the cupboard with a large guitar-like instrument on one hand and a long bow on the other.

"It's a little old," he told me. He was talking about the cello. "And I had trouble tuning the strings when I was new to playing this fellow. Now, the strings and I get along pretty well."

He plucked each string gently with his fingers, the sound making me smile. He continued, "But since the wood is antique, the sound it produces is better. You want to hear it?"

With a smile seemingly permanent on my lips, I gave him an assuring nod. I sat back on the window pane as the music began. I closed my eyes to feel the rhythm and as it dragged on, suddenly I felt a little lighter. As if I was something was lifting me up and I felt more at ease. The music was beautiful on my ears and I couldn't help but to smile wider.

When it ended, I opened my eyes again and saw Misaki-senpai across me, looking far away.

"Misaki-senpai, you are surprisingly a good musician," I told him. Despite being a blabbermouth, he plays the cello very nicely.

His smile was a little less lively and contagious. "Thanks."

"What do you call that song?" I asked, trying to pull him out of the thoughts that looked as if they bothered him.

"It's nothing important."

He stood up and heaved the large instrument and returned it to the cupboard. "Misaki-senpai, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he told me. He waved a hand, gesturing me to come. "Let's go. The host club might be here at any moment."

I jumped off the window pane and glanced at my watch. Track practice was about to begin.

-

A/N: Leave reviews guys. Thanks a lot for keeping up with me this far.


	7. Six

Be My Girlfriend

Chapter Six

_Disclaimer: Hatori Bisco owns Kyouya Ootori._

-

When I was younger, I happened to spend a lot of time at the back of our house. It used to be an empty lot until before I started junior high. Before, it was just an un-owned property, which was a settlement for tall blades of grass, puddles of mud and nothing more.

It was one of the places I sought comfort to as a child. Whenever my mother would tell me off about something I did wrong or about a bruise or a cut I got because I was too restless, I would run to my secret base and hide there for a while until my irritation caves in. However, because he was a persistent, nosy brother, Len somewhat found a way to find my secret base and I was forced to allow him in until he coerced me to share it with him.

When I entered middle school, my base was discovered and the tall glass blades were shaved off, the mud puddles were replaced with an asphalted foundation, and a nursery school was erected on the substantial piece of land. I came home crying like a baby on my mother's arms and she held me so tight, even though she had no idea why my tears were flowing so hard and I was wailing at the top of my lungs. Len's teasing didn't help either, so she had to lock him up inside his room until my howls abated. Later that night, Len came to my room and apologized while messing my hair and telling me he'd find us another secret base.

A few weeks later, my brother took me to a tree house he built himself and told me it would be our new secret base. It wasn't the same. I preferred the mud puddles, the smell of the grass in early morning, the green and brown colors that almost got permanently stuck on my pants. No matter how I looked at the well-built tree house, it still wasn't the same.

-

I sat at the far end of the bed while flipping through the pages of the album I sequestered from the house before I left. The spaces on the album were mostly occupied by me and my brother's pictures together when we were younger.

Since we were kids, Len always had the best-looking face and the most wonderful smile. Both won a lot of girl's hearts before (and broke some of them eventually) but I've always admired that contagious smile he always wore. There was nothing fake or insincere about it, and Len would instantly make everything else seem a lot better. Mom also had the same smile, and it sometimes made me feel a little jealous that I didn't get to inherit that from her. Together, both their smiles I see each morning I wake up make up my day.

Now that I thought of it much lately, I've never gotten a full glimpse of those smiles for almost a month now.

I miss them both, especially mom's sometimes unpalatable cooking and Len's clammy and sweaty hands he'd usually wipe at the back of my shirt just to tease me. A few moments later, I could already feel my tears well up. They dribbled down my cheeks, and I quickly wiped them at the back of my hand. I sniffed aloud and more tears escaped.

I've never felt so away from home like this before. The farthest I've been was in Kyoto, where my classmates and I spent a week there for an educational trip. Because there was so much to do and my friends were there to keep me company, I hardly felt homesick. Now, I feel so alone.

Leaping in surprise, I steered away from my thoughts when the abrupt vibration of Ootori's handy phone startled me. I wiped my tears with the pillow I was holding and reached for the device. The screen told me Ootori was calling, but I had no idea what to do so I started to panic.

"Eh—how do I answer this thing?" I flipped it open, pushed a random button, and waited. Nothing happened. My panic rose to a higher point as the phone shook on my hand like mad. I groaned audibly and it stopped.

"Eh?"

It kicked off again. Instantly, I stood up, dropped it on the bed and reached for my bag. I remembered Ootori had slipped in the manual for the handy phone when he gave me the brown envelope so I retrieved everything out from my bag. My things fell on the floor beneath my feet. I pulled the brown envelope as soon as I spotted it and plunged my hand inside. The handbook manual was there and I flipped it open quickly while rushing towards my bed.

Green button answers the call; red button ends it.

I punched the green button and aimed the receiver to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked, feeling a little uneasy. Ootori's voice over the other end sounded unpleasant.

"What took you so long?" he questioned and I could picture his eyebrows wrinkling in disapproval.

"Sorry," I responded right away. The excuse I instantly thought of was lame. "I—uh, had a leg cramp."

"You don't usually answer the phone with your legs, do you?" It was not a question.

"I had an arm cramp after that," I told him matter-of-factly.

"Which arm?" he asked.

"Right arm."

"You're left-handed."

"Yes, and shortly after that, I had—"

"Shush!" I shut up and bit my lower lip. "You didn't read the manual, did you?"

"Uhm," I started without any intention to answer him. Trying to pull him off the topic, I began, "Anyway, what made you call this early morning?"

"Akiko called," he told me. "She's inviting me in for lunch and tea. She has to see us together."

I frowned slightly and chewed on my bottom lip. I needed to drop by Ruka's place today to see if she's fine so I couldn't go. "Ootori-san, I can't."

"What?" He didn't seem to hear properly.

"I can't," I repeated, a little louder this time.

"I heard you the first time, Ashina." He sounded a little pissed off and I felt slightly taken aback. "Tachibana will pick you up in an hour or so."

"Who?"

Before he could answer my question, Ootori ended the call.

-

The desk beside the door was mostly cluttered with my school stuff. Most of them were books—textbooks and an athlete's manual my track coach from middle school gave me as a present before I left for Ouran. A small picture frame also sat humbly on the desk and it was a picture of me, mom and Len with our arms linked.

I bowed my head slightly to the picture. "I'm off," I spoke. "Len, mom, I'm going."

My eyes lingered at the picture for a while and smiled at the faces. I stood up, smoothened the creases off my blouse, and pulled the door open. I closed it behind.

-

Whatever the reason, Shiki had told me, whether you're late for a business meeting or for class, the train would always be exactly ten minutes late. A few minutes ago, I'd dropped by his workplace to ask for directions or whether he knew about the place where Ruka lived. The guard at the back gate had drawn me a map yesterday but I had trouble remembering his instructions so I had to show it to Shiki to ask him about it.

"I can accompany you to the place, though," he had told me but I quickly refused. He seemed a little busy. I had assured him I'd be fine.

"Besides, I can take care of myself."

He had shrugged unknowingly and had given me a smirk, as if mocking. I'd frowned at him in disapproval and had left the place without waving him goodbye.

As I made my way to the station, I thought about Ootori's call this early morning. He would probably understand. It was not as if I was exchanging our arrangement for nothing. I owed him a lot and I was grateful for his help but he'd soon realize that I had more important things to do. Maybe he wouldn't mind. After all, I was just asking for one day.

The train stopped and the doors opened. I quickly stepped inside and found a seat near the door. I sat there for a moment and waited for the other passengers to load.

-

Maybe I woke up; maybe I didn't. Maybe I was still in a dream or maybe my mind was still trying to comprehend what was happening. Without opening my eyes, I listened quietly.

My background was a bustle of people moving about. A few feet away, I could hear a bunch of laughs coming from a group of boys, possibly trying to impress someone. Not far away from the group of laughter was a fit of giggles from what I perceive to be a bevy of middle school girls. They seemed to be talking about something I can't tell what. Near to me was a group of elderly people; I could smell their perfume.

_Where am I?_

This wasn't a dream because they all sounded and smelled so real. I cracked an eyelid open. Opposite me was a small child, about five years old, smiling at me like an angel. He resembled someone I knew but very vaguely. I could feel my head slip slowly to one side and hit a hard surface.

"We have arrived at the fourth stop." The intercom sounded overhead, "For passengers to Edogawa-ku, please step out of the train right now."

"Huh?" I sat up and rubbed the sleep off my eyes. "Edogawa-ku?"

Turning my attention to the old woman beside me, I asked politely, "We're in Edogawa-ku?"

"Ha?" She didn't seem to hear properly.

"E-DO-GA-WA!" I repeated loudly.

"Ah." She was nodding her head vigorously. "Yes, yes. This is Edogawa-ku."

It took me a while before the information processed.

"Please don't step on the white line. The train doors are closing." The intercom shouted loudly. It hit me hard.

Quickly, I thanked the elderly lady beside me and collected my things while slipping quickly through the door. When I reached the station floor, I instantly looked around. Up ahead was a sign printed in bold letters: _Welcome to Edogawa-ku_.

_What is this place?_

I groaned aloud and hit my face to make sure I wasn't dreaming. It hurt and I'm lost. I'm really hopeless.

Okay, first things first. _Calm down_. If things happened like this, the first thing I had to do was calm down. I walked around for a while to let my mind clear. The only thing I needed right now was money. Of course, I still have a few cash left on my pocket. I could still make it home.

No, I should be going to Ruka's place right now—my shoulder bumped into someone and I apologized quickly—and besides, there was still enough money to go to Ruka's place and back to my apartment. I could travel the rest by feet if I possibly run out of cash.

Yes, that would be it. I dug my hand on my left pocket to see how much money was left. Oh, and I should call Ootori in case he was looking for me.

_Wait_. My left pocket was empty. I checked the other one.

"Eh?" I looked down to see that I was empty-handed. "My bag's gone too!"

I turned around and at an instant, I saw my bag in the hand of the guy I just bumped into a few moments ago!

"Hey!" I cried at the top of my lungs. "Stop that thief!"

When I broke into a run, the pickpocket glanced behind. Our eyes met for a split-second and he stopped for a while. I pointed an accusing finger to him and screamed, "You, rascal!"

He sprinted quickly away. "Stop that guy!"

I boosted my speed and the onlookers watched our struggle. "Stop that guy!"

Nobody moved. When we hit the road, he changed directions. The mob flooded in and blocked my way. Not long after that, I lost sight of him.

-

The tears won't stop. I wiped them away but more tears leaked out.

I sat on a bench nearby and watched as people walked by without looking back. I felt so alone. Mom wasn't here; Len wasn't here. Even my friends back in the countryside who usually dragged me to an ice cream parlor to cheer me up were not here either.

I wiped my nose with the back of my hand and sniffed aloud.

"You are so un-cute," a voice spoke and I saw a pair of shoes approach me. I looked up. He handed me a plaid handkerchief.

"Shiki?" I asked, making sure it was really him. "What are you doing here?"

He glanced up thoughtfully. "Ah, why indeed?"

Shiki smiled and occupied the empty space beside me. He reached for my face and dabbed the tears with the handkerchief.

"I thought you said you can take care of yourself?"

"I'm fine," I pulled my head from his hold and looked away, afraid to meet his eyes.

He chuckled slightly and I felt a little offended. "I saw you with snot dripping on your nose and you think I'll believe you're fine?"

I mopped my nose with the sleeve of my blouse.

"Let's go." He stood up and held my hand.

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know." He winked and pulled me away.

A few minutes later, we arrived in front of a cheap restaurant and I realized he was still holding my hand. I quickly pulled it from his grasp.

"But I don't have money," I complained and he responded with a smile.

"I know."

"You know?" I looked up at him suspiciously.

"Uhm," he began, while cocking his head to one side, perhaps thinking of an excuse. "Of course I know. You always don't have enough money."

I frowned at him and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "How rude."

"Just promise me next time, you're the one who's going to treat me out," he spoke with a slight chuckle.

I smiled and raised my left palm. "I promise."

"Shouldn't it be the right hand?"

I quickly exchanged them and raised my right arm instead.

-

"What were you doing here anyway?" he asked after swallowing a mouthful of sushi. I chewed my food carefully before answering his question.

"I was supposed to go to my friend's place," I began. I looked down to my lap and frowned. "But I got lost."

"How did you get lost?"

"I slept on the train."

He laughed—not that hard though—but I expected him to laugh anyway. "Well at least, you've learned what to do and not to do in a train, right?"

I nodded quietly and continued to eat my food.

"Anyway, off the topic: why are you so desperate to go to your friend's house nonetheless?" he asked and I sighed in frustration.

"She was a little upset yesterday," I told him. "And I just thought I could help her out."

Shiki handed me a can of coke, and I thanked him silently.

"Give her some space for a while," he suggested. "Besides, it's not proper to prod into other people's business. Even though you consider her as a precious friend, you can't go on pushing yourself to her life, you know. If she really needs your help, she'll run to you. If not, then you can always show your concern by being simply standing by her side. Or letting her know that you're her support blanket."

"Really?"

Shiki nodded with an assuring smile. "Of course."

I looked at him as if he grew gills, "Shiki."

He glanced at me with a curious look on his face. I gave him a two-thumbs-up. "You're really great."

He laughed quietly and waved a hand. "Just finish your food."

Shiki took me home shortly after that. After he left, I thanked him quietly, sat on my bed and reflected on the things that happened. There were three fatal things that I realized today: 1) I ignored Ootori's orders, 2) he'd probably kill me because I ignored his orders, and 3) I'm too tired to think about it so I need to sleep first. I'd bet that as soon as I hit the pillow, I'd already be snoring.

-

When my consciousness woke up, the first thing my brain recognized was the persistent knock on the door. I sat up and rubbed my eyes but they refused to open. As if like a routine, I slid my slippers on and dragged my feet to the door to open it. The cool night breeze greeted my face like ice water and I shivered slightly.

"Wake up," a male voice spoke. I rubbed my eyes again but they stung.

"Ashina," the man in front of me regarded quietly. I cracked my eyelids open, blinked once, and let my eyes adjust with the light from the nearby fluorescent bulb. I recognized the face at once.

"Ootori-san?" I jumped in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

He shoved something in front of my face and I had to move my head back and squint a little. Instantly, I knew what it was.

"Handy phone!"

He dropped it on my hand. "Don't lose it again."

Ootori left quickly, letting my mind process what was happening. A few heartbeats later, I thought better of it and went back to bed.

-

_To be continued_

-

_**Omake**_

_(Third Person)_

The round table was occupied only by two people. Kyouya sat across Akiko, who was looking rather pleased than the former. Kyouya was annoyed, but he kept a straight face while struggling to fake a worried look as he glanced at his watch every now and then. He was hoping his masked expression would work but apparently, Akiko was not paying attention.

"She's late," Akiko told him, which was pretty obvious. Kyouya looked away, pulled his phone from his pocket and checked Ashina's location; her handy phone was on GPS.

"Edogawa-ku?" he whispered incredulously. "What the hell is she doing there?"

"Pardon?" Akiko asked and Kyouya responded with a shrug. Without warning, he stood up and stormed out of the room.

"Kyouya!" Akiko called after him. "Where are you going?"

He didn't seem to hear her. Kyouya clenched his teeth and muttered under his breath. "I'm going to kill her."

He flipped his phone open and punched her speed dial. An unfamiliar voice answered—an unfamiliar _male_ voice. The other line ended the call quickly, and Kyouya quickly dialed Tachibana's number.

Seventy miles later, he found himself standing in front of three thugs, scaring the hell out of them just to demand a small, yellow, handy phone back.

-

End


	8. Seven

**Be My Girlfriend**

_Chapter Seven_

I forgot I turned a year old two days ago (on Philippine time zone). Yes, I fail at life. Still unbeta-ed.

The trail seemed endless.

One moment I thought I've reached the finish line, only to realize later on that there stood another curb or another maze shooting into different directions. On worst occasions, I'd find myself facing a brick wall after a long round of sprinting—a dead end—and I would be forced to turn around and sprint for a few extra miles to find the right path.

Maybe I was chasing someone; I couldn't tell who or what, exactly, or if I was actually running for a tangible (or any sensible) reason at all. Sometimes, I would catch a quick glimpse of a broad shoulder—a shoulder of a vaguely familiar man—disappearing behind a tall wall. No matter how hard I try, I couldn't catch up with him. Sometimes, I would see an empty shell of a turtle nearby. When I'd stop to stare at it for a while, it would pop and magically disappear out of thin air. It was strange, in most ways and the more I tried to think of the reason what I was actually doing at a place like this, the slower the time seemed to pass. In fact, time didn't even seem to exist.

"Ashina?"

A voice spoke my name and I stopped on my tracks. I turned my head to look and I was surprised to see Ootori's face smiling a few feet away. He waved a hand and winked playfully. Bewildered, I inclined my head to one side curiously and rubbed my chin to ponder if it was really him. His glasses were gone but the almost permanent curve on his lips was there. Only, it didn't look completely intimidating.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I claimed a few steps closer to him. He didn't move away but the closer I walked to his direction, the farther he appeared to be.

"Ootori, don't move!" I commanded. "I can't catch up with you."

"You don't need to," he told me, while his corporeal form slowly faded away. He was becoming transparent, invisible.

"Rei."

I stopped. Shiki was suddenly beside me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, while reaching up to touch his face. He was real.

"Look at me," he said.

I wrinkled my eyebrows. "I'm looking at you."

"Can you see me?" he asked.

"Of course I can," I told him, while pinching his cheeks to assure him. "I can even touch you, see?"

"You're not looking at me." He frowned, almost childish, but his eyes were forlorn and dejected.

"But I'm looking at you." I turned to look at the direction where Kyouya was a few moments ago. He had completely disappeared and for a moment, I thought of running away from Shiki's hold to find him.

"But you're not." Shiki too, was suddenly fading away, like what had happened to Kyouya.

With a sudden jerk, my heart skipped a beat and I blinked once—maybe twice—Shiki was gone, along with the unknown path. I lay on my back, staring at the pale crimson ceiling of my cramped apartment.

Sunlight streamed through the open windows on my right and gingerly, I sat up. A sound of an unknown music sounded nearby, and I felt like I was still in a daze. I slapped my cheeks to get the sleep off my system. A few more blinks later, I was completely awake.

I had forgotten what my dream was about.

Dreams, as what my mother had told me, were supposed to tell us something significant. They were supposed to convey a story, a narrative of what could or could not happen in the future—just to give us a clue of what was in store for us and perhaps prepare us ahead. They always held meaning, and believe it or not (my mother had spoken with unbelievably convincing eyes) dreams come true. On one hand, it made sense. But on the other, it would be pointless if you could not even remember what your dream actually was. Besides, wasn't life supposed to be a surprise?

"I can do this," I cheered quietly while wiping the beads of sweat that formed on my forehead. It has been a while since I raided my apartment for an actual cleaning. In fact, it was barely recognizable anymore (in contrast to what it looked like on my first two-day stay here). Dust had accumulated on the countertop of my tiny kitchen; the same goes to the other surfaces as well (like my desk and the top of my closet). Even for me, the filth drew a nasty cringe and a look of disgust on my face. My things were cluttered almost seemingly everywhere. Even my laundry basket was complaining and screaming at me quietly on its innocent corner by the bathroom. I've neglected my pad for too long (and maybe if my landlady would barge in right at this moment, she wouldn't need a second glance, and she'd impulsively kick me out).

A familiar sound hummed not far from where I stood and I jerked my head to look at the direction of the noise. It came from a pale yellow device, which vibrated violently on top of the desk beside the door. I blinked once, trying to comprehend what it was and how unexpectedly it resembled the handy phone Ootori gave me a few days ago, but which I happened to lose on my encounter yesterday.

I retrieved it from the desk and stared at it for a long time until my hand felt numb because of the rhythmic vibration against my palm.

Wait.

This was the handy phone Ootori gave me. In my haste and panic, the device nearly fell on the floor; I was just in time to catch it before it hit the tatami mats. I flipped it open and punched the green button unceremoniously.

"Uhm," I started. "Ootori—erm—san?"

"What?" he snapped and I flinched at the tone of his voice. I swallowed hard.

"H-how did this handy phone get back to me?" I asked. I heard him sigh loudly on the receiver and I knew I shouldn't have asked. "Uhm, you know what? Never mind. I was just—"

"Open the door," he intruded, startling me.

"What?"

"Open the door," he repeated pointedly. Obediently, I shuffled to the door to pull it open. Ootori's tall frame towered over my smaller form. I looked up to meet his eyes and one minute I thought he'd breathe fire. I shuddered, suddenly sensing that something unpleasant was going to happen. It took me a moment to realize my mouth was agape. I cleared my throat and closed the phone when he ended the call.

He spoke first, "I'll tell you two important things today so you better listen."

I bit my lower lip, too petrified to respond. He aimed his forefinger to the tip of my nose and I flinched. "One: don't lose that handy phone again. Two: read the manual and the contract—"

"Contract?" I interrupted. Damn, I almost forgot about the contract.

"—three: don't butt in when I'm talking."

"I thought you said only two—"

"Four: read your text messages, and five: if you don't want trouble, obey my orders. Am I clear?"

For now, I have two options. One: tell him off—

"Who are you to order me around anyway?" I could scream at the top of my lungs and poke his chest repeatedly with my forefinger. "Sure, I'm indebted ¥50,000 and I owe you a favor because, yes, I eavesdropped on your break-up with Akiko and that was considered invasion of privacy, which was my mistake. Does that mean I won't pay you back with the cash? Does that mean you can't ever accept my apology? That's what's wrong with you rich people. You always think you're at the top when you're actually just a bunch of scumbags! You make me really angry!"

After that, I would kick the door for a more dramatic effect and shut it to his face.

_No_, I shook myself inwardly. If I did that, his body guards would instantly shoot me down before Kyouya could even snap at my hysterics.

—then I guess I'd have to yield to option two.

I nodded meekly and lowered my head in defeat. "Yes, you're clear."

"And please," he continued while wrinkling his nose and covering it with his hand, as if in disgust. "Wash up. How long have you last taken a bath anyway?"

"But I was cleaning my apartment," I told him while filling my nostrils with the scent of my sweat. It didn't really smell that bad . . . just salty.

"I'll be back in an hour," he said. "Finish up. Akiko let us go yesterday but the lunch date resumes later."

"Eh?" Before I could respond properly, he turned his back on me and walked away.

Now, I have to remember Important Thing Number Five: follow Ootori's orders. I felt really sorry for myself. Kami, please save me. I sighed ruefully and closed the door. I could go back to cleaning later.

"What are you wearing?"

The moment I opened my door, an hour later, Ootori acknowledged me with a look of revulsion.

"Jeans and a floral blouse," I told him, trying to sound persuasive with a sugary smile. "I bought it on a rummage sale last week. Isn't it pretty?"

Ootori scoffed in disbelief. "You never fail to meet my expectations."

I scowled and tried to aim him a death glare but he didn't seem to notice (I fail at telepathic communication). Even if he did notice, he chose to ignore me. Instead, he continued to criticize my choice of clothing. "We're attending a lunch date with Akiko. You should have dressed a little more decent."

"But this is decent," I complained with a pout.

"Do you have a dress?" he asked.

"Er," I began while visualizing the other pieces of clothing inside my closet. I owned a few dresses but most of them were barely past the knees. Further, I've grown a few centimeters these past few months (according to the latest physical examination I've taken) so I bet the dresses that covered my knees are pretty useless now. The thing is, last Friday, I tripped pretty awfully during my hundred-meter dash practice. But because the rubber was there to reduce the severity of the wounds that my fall would soon procure (my coach even told me the rubber was even exported from England), the accident only left a minor scratch on both my knees. Only, a nasty, purplish bruise formed later that same night. I looked up to catch a glimpse of Ootori's face and frowned. From what I've seen, I could tell he wouldn't be pleased hearing my excuse right now. I leaned in closer to whisper quietly. Then again, after weighing my options, telling the truth would be for the better. Besides, it was the only quickest solution I could think of. "Uhm, Ootori. _San_," I almost forgot to attach the honorific. "Right now, my knees are not nicely available for public viewing."

Quickly, he aimed me suspicious look. He recovered soon enough and spoke, "And what do you mean by that?"

I responded honestly. "I have a nasty bruise on my knees right now because of an accident last Friday. Right now, I can only wear jeans and track pants."

His eyes shouted, "You will never wear track pants, especially in front of Akiko."

I looked away, mentally preparing myself for the worst to come. He was still talking. "As expected. You never disappoint me, Ashina."

_'I hate you, Ootori.'_

"Tachibana." His voice was commanding. Soon, a middle-aged man who wore dark sunglasses and an elegant, black suit appeared to his side. He carried a brown box and handed it to Kyouya, who passed it to me.

"That's one of my sister's old dresses. Return it after you have it dry-cleaned."

I blinked in surprise and stared at the box for a very long time. When I recovered, I told Kyouya to wait for a minute, and I ran inside the bathroom. I emerged a moment later, clad in a white, demurely flower-patterned dress, which—thankfully—ran past my knees. The hem perfectly hid the bruises.

"That looks better," Kyouya complimented with a straight face, which negated his statement. He crossed the door and came up to me. "Now, put down your hair."

"Eh?"

With a sudden movement, he reached behind me—I blushed slightly with the close proximity—to pull the bobby pins from the loose bun that held my hair together. My hair fell down to my shoulders and a few strands got stuck on my face. There was a pregnant and awkward pause and I cleared my throat instantly. Ootori moved away and I brushed the stay hair off my cheeks to ease the tension.

He re-established his cool at once. "Come," he said. "We're running late."

I retrieved the key of my apartment door from the desk beside the picture frame, bowed at the photo for a second or more, before following Ootori and locking the door behind.

Because it held a few unpleasant memories, the back seat of the limousine made me fidget uncomfortably on my seat. Ootori, who sat a few inches away from me, was quietly looking out of the window to the establishments that we passed quickly by. He seemed to be deep in thought. In an effort to ease my apprehension, I tried to imitate what he was doing and keep my attention outside but apparently, it was useless.

The glare.

The threat.

The words, "Be my girlfriend."

I shuddered violently. The scene kept replaying on my head like a scratched CD.

"What is it this time?" a voice asked and I looked at Ootori.

"I'm really nervous," I told him with a grimace. He sighed inaudibly while reaching for a glass that sat on a small table beside him. A bottle of vintage-y wine was placed next to it and I watched as he poured the reddish liquid on the crystal. He handed it to me afterwards.

"It'll calm your nerves," he told me. "Take a sip."

I bit my lip and reconsidered. "I don't drink alcohol."

"Just take a sip," he repeated, his eyes threatening.

"But I really don't drink," I whined and continued matter-of-factly. "My coach forbids me to drink any alcohol. It's really unhealthy."

"This is wine," he argued back. "It's good for blood circulation."

His glasses glinted dangerously but I chose to ignore it. "No." I pursed my lips and shook my head.

Finally giving up, Ootori pulled his hand back and pressed the crystal against his lips. He drained it at once and placed the empty glass back on the small table.

"Since you refused and disobeyed me," he turned to me. "Shut up for a while and stay still. You're starting to irritate me."

I bit my lip to quiet myself.

We enjoyed the next three minutes of silence when I found it nicer to focus my eyes outside to look at the plate numbers of each car that passed us by. It somewhat distracted my thoughts from the dark memories that the back seat of the car reminded me. Soon, my bangs pulled me away from my thoughts of cars and plate numbers and jerked me back to reality. I pushed the annoying hair back but it fell on my eyes. I tucked my bangs behind my ears but didn't reach that far so they fell back on my eyes. I blew them away but they remained a nuisance. Maybe I should get a haircut soon.

"Will you stop it?" I jumped at the sudden sound of Ootori's voice. My heart skipped a beat. He snapped, "What's the matter this time?"

"My bangs," I complained. "They're really stubborn."

"You make my life difficult." I swallowed. He was towering over me again. "Tachibana, stop the car."

The driver, Tachibana-san, obeyed and Ootori immediately stepped out of the car and slammed the door behind him. I trembled in fear.

"He's really scary," I told Tachibana-san and he chuckled. He responded with a smile and a modest comment, "He may seem really frightening but Kyouya-sama is really a nice guy, if you get to know him better."

_He didn't seem like it._

His smile widened and continued, "He rarely shows it to anyone, but he also has a soft side."

_I highly doubt that._

The sound of the door opening startled me and Ootori stepped inside at once. He tossed a small paper bag on my lap and before I could register what it was, Tachibana had started the car and dashed off.

As if it might burst, I poked the small bag carefully before I decided it was safe enough to tear it open. A small, primly designed hair clip fell on my lap and I picked it up to take a closer look. Small-cut crystalline gems adorned it and the hair accessory, I have to admit, really looked nice and cute. I turned to Ootori while biting my lip to hide a smile. "Is this really mine?"

His death glare was enough to shut me up and ask no further questions. Knowing him for a while now, I learned that the glare often said yes.

I turned my attention back to the hair clip and admired it quietly before pinning it on my bangs. But before I could properly put it on my hair, I accidentally pricked my forehead with it. "Ow." I ran my fingers on the sore spot to tend on the area. When I glanced to my right, Ootori was staring at me in disbelief. I'm guessing he already wanted me dead; I've crossed the line too much.

"Sorry," I apologized while biting my lip. I mentally ordered myself to quiet down before Ootori could initiate a bloodshed, which I was able to accomplish, to an extent. After much care of keeping the pin any inch closer to my forehead, I pushed it gently so it could hold my bangs effectively.

When I stole another glance to the man on my right, I flinched and shuddered at the dark aura he was emitting.

I'm really hopeless.

_To be continued_

**A little back-story:** Why borrowed? I figured Kyouya would gain no merit on wasting his effort to buy her a dress so he ordered a maid to sneak into Fuyumi's old room and steal one of her old clothes. After Fuyumi got married, she moved into her husband's house and left all her clothes behind. When Yoshio ordered Fuyumi to dispose of the clothes already, Fuyumi greatly disagreed, saying the clothes held too many memories of the house and her single life—it would take time before she would have to let them go. That was five years ago.

**A/N I:** This should have been longer but I changed my mind (I try to limit the word count). Though, expect Akiko on the next chapter.

**Teaser for the next chapter, though not exactly verbatim:**

"Let's go home," he complained aloud, without any obvious effort to hide his impatience. "This place really looks unsanitary."

The vendor behind the stall aimed him a glare but even if Ootori noticed, he paid no attention to it. Instead, he continued with a smug look on his face. "Besides, there are a lot of airborne diseases you can catch by eating in this kind of place. Not only that, but the sauce may even be contaminated with salmonella and E. coli and a lot more species of bacteria.

I had a mouthful and I almost choked at his comment. I swallowed quickly, before I could spit the food out. I glanced at the vendor, and he I could tell he was fuming. Ootori was still talking. ". . . and germs too." He huffed. "I doubt the stall owner even owns a sanitary permit."

To say the uncle behind the stall was pissed off to a certain black-haired man who wore glasses, was an understatement. I grabbed Ootori's arm, directed an apologetic smile to the vendor, dropped a few coins on the stainless counter, and ran for it.

**A/N II:** I think I gave away too much. Well, at least it gave you an idea of what to expect. I'll try to finish the next one soon. Leave reviews and constructive criticisms. Keep me motivated with your hits. Tenchu.


	9. Eight

Be My Girlfriend

Chapter Eight

A/N: Keepin' it light and (hopefully) funny. I've been obsessed with light comedy lately and I'm really having fun writing this. Thanks for the hits and reviews, guys. You are awesome.

Not mine. Unbeta-ed but run though grammar and spell check. Have a nice day.

This may serve as a bribe for PurpleSkye, if she reads it.

If there was one thing that would snap the last of Ootori's nerves, I was pretty sure it'd be me. His wrath hung heavily on the air and the tension made me feel even more nervous than I already was. Even Tachibana-san, who drove in silence on the front seat as we scuttled around uptown, could sense the apprehension that surrounded us; he kept trying to unloosen the knot of his tie, and he kept glancing up to Ootori's reflection through the rearview mirror, afraid that his master might soon burst into flames or worse, swallow me alive.

I was silent for the rest of the ride and even if my bladder was complaining, I knew better than voice it aloud. It was one of the most important things that I learned within a short span of time especially when being around a pissed Ootori: silence saves lives.

We arrived shortly after, and Tachibana-san parked the car in a spacious lot just outside a large house. If the house was bigger than the Ootori mansion, I could hardly tell. Perhaps the only difference I could exactly point out between the two houses was the architectural design. Whereas the Ootori mansion was more avant-garde, this one had a quaint feeling to it, in a somewhat modern way.

Tachibana-san pulled me out of my thoughts when he opened the door for me. I smiled and thanked him quietly while stepping out of the car. Before I could even stand straight and smoothen the creases off my dress, Ootori appeared night next to me; I tried not to look at his grey eyes.

"Let's have last minute instructions," Kyouya began and I listened carefully, in case he'd devour me when I failed to comply with his orders. "Let's modify the honorifics a little bit."

I glanced up to look at his face and thankfully, his glasses obscured the dangerously fierce look he always wore. "Ootori-san is fine for me," I told him honestly.

"But it's supposed to be more than that," he said. He brought a finger up to his chin, as if deep in thought. "How about Kyouya-sama?"

"Sama?" It was my turn to scowl and glare at him in disbelief. I protested without completely intending to, "I'm not your servant, you know."

Behind his clouded glasses, I could tell he was trying to murder me with his eyes and I knew I shouldn't have said that. There was an uncomfortable pause that made me remember that my bladder was full and I needed to pee. I fumbled for something to say, anything, to ease my discomfort when I realized my voice was too weak and too small. Before I realized it, he began to intimidate me again. "How about Kyouya-san?" I suggested. "No, it's a little too formal as Ootori-san."

"Kyouya-san sounds fine," he told me. "Then, it's settled." He turned around to walk away when I suddenly grabbed his forearm to stop him. "No, wait!"

His eyes were now visible, and when he turned to me, they locked on mine. A few seconds later, I averted my eyes, the fear overpowering me. Slowly, he slipped his arm away from my hold as if telling me not to touch him without his granted permission. I tried to recover instantly. Clearing my throat, I began, "Besides, I'm older than you so I deserve more respect. Since you're younger, I'll make it Kyouya-kun."

"You're making a big fuss about it," he said. Even though his face told me he was ready to strike at me at any moment (in a strangely calm sort of way), his voice still remained steady and composed. "Kyouya-san is fine. Now, let's go."

"No, wait!" I interrupted. "Kyouya-kun is too common. Since we're a couple—" He interrupted with a "We're not a real couple," but I ignored him. "— I should call you in a more . . . unique and special way. Most of our classmates call you Kyouya-kun. Akiko calls you Kyouya."

I bit my lip and pondered about it for a moment. "Ah!" I screamed when something came to mind. His expression didn't show his surprise but apparently, the sudden noise startled him. I apologized quickly and looked up, prepared to declare my opinion. I blinked more than necessary and aimed him a sweet smile. "Gankyo-kun."*

Another awkward pause and I waited for him to respond. He stared at me with a straight face and I had to look away from his eyes again; it was mandatory. Almost out of the blue, I searched the vicinity and my eyes landed on a pair of tall trees not far from where we stood. I admired the orange and pink leaves that fell on the ground for a second or two before I recalled that I actually needed to pee.

"All right," he started and I snapped my head back to his direction. He leaned forward, invading my personal space. I blushed. His voice was a tone lower and seemingly mocking. "O-BAA-SAN."

A wicked smiled ghosted his lips as I tried to comprehend his words. Soon, he retreated an inch away, with a chuckle trying to escape his mouth. "Since you're older than me, I give you the honor you deserve."

Quickly, he turned around and walked out on me.

"You!" I threatened while thrusting my forefinger in the air. "I'm not even twenty yet! I'm only three months older than you, YOU!"**

You, freakin' scumbag! Age a hundred years!

After deciding it was better to keep quiet and give up complaining, I followed Ootori as he led the way to the large, ornate entrance of the mansion. The doors opened enchantingly (like in a palace of a fairy tale where doors open on impulse) and revealed a line-up of servants in cute, laced, black-and-white, maid's uniform. "Wow," I whispered almost subconsciously. They looked like life-size dolls inside a large museum, which somewhat reminded me of the lolita cosplays my friends did back in the countryside every school festival. Before I could allow the nostalgia to overwhelm my senses, Ootori tugged my arm down and I had to shuffle forward to catch up with his pace.

Unlike its modest exterior, the mansion's inside looked better and more modernized. As compared to the Ootori's English furniture (which was more of Elizabethan), the lobby of this mansion was mostly decorated with shapes and patterns (typically German); the paintings that hung on the hallway were all modern, abstract art. The walls were—whoa—they were made of thick fiber glass and inside the glass walls were an abundant collection of marine animals, mostly varying species of fishes. I ran to the direction of the large aquariums and pressed my face against the thick glass to admire them for a while. I've never been to an aquarium before, and it felt like a dream come true. I realized Ootori was beside me.

"What year is it?" I asked him, my voice laced with confusion and with a toned down, child-like curiosity, almost lost in thought.

With a puzzled and a barely-recognizable annoyed expression, he asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Who has successfully invented the flux capacitor?" I felt dazed. Subconsciously, I rubbed one side of my face against the cold surface, checking if this was real. I continued, "There's a beautiful house underwater. I can't believe that I'm underwater."

Ootori shook his head in frustration. "You've completely lost it."

"Gankyo-kun, let's go back to the present time."

He snapped at me, not that I was surprised that he did. By now, I'm almost used to it. "Stop this nonsense. We're already late." He pulled my arm and dragged me away from the large aquariums.

"Gankyo-kun," I spoke his name. My bemused voice didn't change. "I believe I really need to go to the bathroom right now."

"No."

"But I really need to pee," I told him. He had his hand on my arm and he was towing me up a flight of stairs.

"Must you be difficult?" he drawled. "Sometimes, I wonder if you're delaying us on purpose.

He had a point. Meeting Akiko (outside of school, especially having Ootori introduce me as a girl who replaced her position as his girl friend) made me nervous as much as Ootori's presence did. But above all, "But I really need to pee!"

He aimed me a look, and it understood him perfectly. I pursed my lips in silence and silently followed him until we reached another large door on the hall of the second floor. He didn't push it open, but the doors swung magically to reveal another equally beautiful room. I was in awe. Only when a girl with elegantly long hair, a wonderful smile and a pink, pretty dress did I jump in surprise and jerked back in reality.

"Kyouya, Ashina-san, it's so nice to have you here," Akiko greeted with a soft voice. She pulled Ootori in a tight hug after kissing both his cheeks. I was stunned beside him. When they pulled apart, she turned to me and gave her biggest smile.

I swallowed hard. I have a bad feeling about this. And, I really have to go to the bathroom.

To say the room was spacious would be an understatement. It wasn't just spacious; it required a far more difficult adjective, to which I could not describe properly without sounding rude.

If I estimate correctly, the room may actually have enough space for our house (in the countryside) to fit, and then some. The length of the dining table seemed endless, and it occupied more than half of the entire space, which reminded me of the tables in the Harry Potter movies I used to watch with my friends back in middle school. The chandelier was enormous, the windows looked like they were eating me alive, the ceiling was too high—I felt so puny and helpless. More to that, I was uncomfortable and I felt like having an extreme nervous break-down. I shot Ootori, who sat across me on the table, a pleading look that I hoped he would understand; he did. But unfortunately, he was too busy returning me an apologetic expression that he paid no attention to my distress. Worse, my bladder was threatening to burst soon.

Akiko was talking alien language with Ootori (he smiled a lot and for a moment I wondered why he was the opposite when he was with me). Nonetheless, I tried to ignore their banter as much as my ears can. Sighing in defeat, I crossed my hands on my lap and stared blankly at the intricate patterns of the table cloth in front of me (I tried not to the dozens of utensils on top of it).

Soon, lunch was served. It was a large array of seafood platter and everything else mouth-watering and delicious. I could grab the lobster (it was tempting me) on the silver plate in front of me, if only Akiko wasn't here. In front of wealthy people, I knew how it was a must to observe proper etiquette. Ootori would murder me if I didn't.

"Aren't you, Ashina-san?"

"Eh?" I heard my name. Something brushed lightly on my leg but I disregarded it. It was Akiko who spoke. "Pardon?"

"You're on the track club," she repeated patiently. "Aren't you?"

"Ah," I began, afraid that my voice might sound pathetic in case she'd laugh. "Yes."

"I know someone from the track club too and he's really adorable," she spoke rapidly but her voice remained soft. I suddenly wondered what happened to the Akiko who snapped at me in the classroom not long ago. "His name's Ikuto Miyagi and he's an upperclassman. Do you know him?"

"Ah, yes."

I swallowed (audibly) and reached for the nearest glass on the table. Even though Akiko actually acted kind to me (so far), I couldn't help but feel tense. I drained half of the water on the glass and I could feel Ootori's eyes bearing holes on my forehead. I tried not to meet them.

"Oh my god," Akiko screamed and I jumped at the sudden sound of her voice. "Your dress is really nice. Where did you buy it?"

"Uhm. Ooto—Gan—(Ootori cleared his throat)—Kyo-kun—bought it for me," I told her, feeling a little relieved that I didn't slip (at least not that much).

Her smile turned nostalgic. She turned to Ootori. "I remember Kyouya used to give me the same expensive things. He loves to spoil me, don't you, Kyouya?"

"I didn't buy that dress," Ootori told her, straight-faced. I turned to him and shook my head in disagreement because in case he didn't notice, I just lied for him. He continued, "In fact, I didn't spend any money on it."

'You're so cheap, Ootori!' I want to give his knee a good kick. Only, my leg couldn't reach as far.

"Oh," Akiko's voice sounded disappointed and her response surprised me. I jerked my head to her direction. As soon as I saw her, the emotion instantly changed. "That's kind of boring, don't you think?"

"Why do you think so?" Ootori asked in a slightly amused voice. Akiko reminded me or the same annoyed Akiko a few days ago.

"There's nothing you can't buy with money," Akiko responded. I felt the sudden change of atmosphere and it was but anything positive.

I felt something (nothing) poke on my bladder and I cringed. I should do something and I should do something quick. I cleared my throat, interrupting them. Hiding my lips from Akiko, I whispered under my hand, "Pst!" He glanced from his plate to my direction with a questioning look on my fairly questionable position. I continued, "Ootori—I mean, Gankyo-kun, I need to pee!"

Akiko giggled beside me and the tension was suddenly eased. Within just a few seconds, she had completely changed her expression. "You don't have to whisper so loud. I can hear you."

I failed Life.

Ootori shook his head in dismay. Without a word, he pushed himself up from his chair and asked Akiko where the nearest bathroom was located; he'd accompany me. She shook her head no. It was inappropriate for a man to accompany a girl to the bathroom so Akiko volunteered. "Come."

I frowned in disapproval. In a futile attempt, I shot Ootori another helpless look but as if mocking me, he swallowed a mouthful of lobster meat.

I sat on the cover of the toilet bowl a few moments later, hoping that Akiko would go away and leave me alone. The door of my cubicle was locked but I could hear her soft humming and the sound of the faucet-water running from right outside. I was at lost. I couldn't think of any other way to escape from her, especially now that my instincts are telling me to leave. Something bad might actually happen and I could feel it.

"Are you done?" she asked quietly but her voice echoed against the walls of the bathroom so it was twice louder. The tone of her voice made me shudder without any reason at all.

"Uhm—almost," I lied. "You can go if you want. I can find my way back."

"No," she told me. "I know you're done so you can get out of there now. I want to talk to you."

I swallowed audibly. I knew this would come. Sighing, I bit my lip and unbolted the lock of my cubicle door. Akiko stood right across me, her arms entwined and her expression unreadable. As I sat on the lid of the toilet bowl, I looked at her with a helpless sigh.

"Get up," she ordered, her voice firm.

Even though I couldn't feel my legs in anxiety, I struggled to keep myself steady. After clearing my throat and thinking of a good excuse as an escape route, I began, "Uhm—maybe Gan—er, Kyo-kun (surprisingly, it transformed to Kyo-kun when it was Akiko I was talking to) might be looking for us."

Akiko didn't look concerned. "I assure you, he's not."

"Uhm—"

"I know about it so don't pretend you don't know anything," she told me, her eyebrows threatening to disappear under her hairline.

Know about what? That I have really bad breath in the morning? Oh my goodness, I'm doomed!

Akiko scoffed when I remained silent. "You're not Kyouya's type in the first place. That guy does everything for merit and you are worth nothing to him."

Eh? What is she talking about?

"Fine," she continued. "I'll play along with his little game and see what happens from here. But I assure you, I'm not going to lose."

Is she talking about the pretend? How does she know about it? I never told anyone, I swear.

Akiko, I realized, was still talking with a wicked smile on her lips. "Let me just warn you: the loser will hurt the most."

At an instant, the smile turned softer and her expression was a lot nicer. "As I was saying, Kyouya might be looking for us now. Let's go?"

I froze. Akiko offered her hand and I took it. It was warm but I felt the hair at the back of my head stand on end.

"Oh, yeah," she whispered on my ear. "Don't tell anyone of our little girl-secret, ne?"

I nodded meekly. When Akiko opened the door of the bathroom, Ootori was there. He smiled at Akiko. "I'm sorry but we're going, Akiko."

"Is that so?" she returned his smile. I felt dizzy. "How about tea?"

"No, thanks," Ootori pulled my arm from her hold. "I remember we still have something important to do. I'm really sorry."

"Okay," Akiko pushed me to him. "I guess I'll just see you around. Bye, Ashina-san."

Still too stunned, Ootori pulled my shoulders closer and guided me away from the bathroom. It was too much to process, and I've never been so confused. When we reached outside, Ootori pushed me away and it was only then that I was able to gather and rearrange my thoughts. Maybe I should tell Ootori about my encounter with Akiko on the bathroom.

No, I shook myself inwardly. That's not right. He'd accuse me of telling someone about out agreement and he'd kill me. Besides, Akiko told me not to tell anyone and who knows what she'd do to me. Either way, I'll end up dead meat.

"What's the matter?" he asked, my eyes rooted on my toes.

"Uhm, let's go home," I told him as I walked past and made my way to the car.

"Akiko told you something." It was not a question. I turned to him and faked laughter.

"There's nothing. Ha ha ha." It sounded robotic. "You're talking nonsense, Gankyo-kun. Ha ha ha."

He followed me to the car. "It doesn't sound like nothing," he said. "You sound suspicious."

"Ha ha." I faked another laugh. "That's stupid."

I turned to Ootori and when I saw his eyes, he sneered, as if telling me, "No one calls me stupid or he'll die."

I bit my lip. Yes, indeed. Silence saves lives.

Tachibana-san drove around town while humming with the sound coming from the CD player. Surprisingly, Ooto—I mean, Gankyo-kun was in an elevated mood. His smugness had improved and his fingertips tapped along with the rhythm of the music. I wanted to go along the lightness of the atmosphere, until I remembered Akiko's words to me. It left a lot of questions, doubts and suspicion. The mere tough of it made me feel dizzy. I pushed the thoughts at the back of my head and looked outside the window to the plate numbers of each car that passed by.

Out of the blue, my stomach growled loudly and I ran my fingers on it. Come to think of it, I haven't eaten anything for lunch. There was too much food on the table, but I was given no chance to taste any of it. Worst, the banquet even looked delicious and appealing that I could only experience it perhaps only once in a lifetime. I felt stupid for letting it all go. More and more, I feel extremely sorry for myself.

"Uhm, Gankyo-kun," I began. His eyes were on me, staring in disbelief.

"You are very unattractive," he told me, a smile ghosting his lips. I frowned.

"Well, sorry for being unattractive," I scowled. "But look, I'm really hungry."

He turned to Tachibana. He asked, "Do you know any good restaurants around town?"

Delighted that he was actually trying to be nice, I hastily interfered in case he'd overdo it. "Wait! I know somewhere good. And cheap."

"What are these called?" Gankyo-kun asked, eyeing the bunch of fish cakes and pig intestines with great disgust. He stabbed the fish cakes repeatedly with a toothpick and I had to tell him off before Vendor-san would notice he was making fun of them. We were in a food stall where Shiki led me once and since then, I was hooked with the taste of the food.

"These are fish cakes," I told him while swallowing a mouthful. "Those are pig intestines, chicken liver and the rest."

He looked pale. Green and pale. "Are you all right?" I asked, while reaching for his forehead to check his temperature. He felt fine.

"These aren't even safe," he said. "This place doesn't even look sanitary."

"What are you talking about?" I questioned him incredulously. "You haven't even tasted one yet. Come try it."

I stabbed a fish cake from my small paper plate and offered it to him. He backed away in revulsion. "That's very unhygienic. Besides, this place is prone to a lot of airborne germs and bacteria. The food may even be infected with E. coli or amoeba. Does this place even have a sanitary permit?"

Vendor-san was staring at Gankyo-kun with an annoyed expression and I bowed at him, apologetic. Gankyo-kun was still talking. "—the sauce is in an open container. That's really unclean."

I nudged his arm with my elbow to silence him but I failed at body language.

"Ya!" Vendor-san screamed and pointed a finger at Gankyo-kun. I jumped. "If you're not going to eat here, shut up! Go away!"

"I'm sorry to tell you this," Gankyo-kun started. "But may I see your sanitary and business permit?"

"What?" Vendor-san sounded pissed. I couldn't blame him.

"Uhm—I'm really sorry, Vendor-san but we're leaving." I bowed and dropped a few coins on the coin box.

"That's right!" he yelled. "Leave."

"Don't be sorry, Ashina." He moved closer to the stall to sneer at Vendor-san. "Sir, I'm only asking for your business and sanitary permit—"

"Uhm—" I interrupted loudly. Grabbing Gankyo-kun's arm I pushed his back to force him to bow. "We're sorry. We're really sorry."

Soon, we were back on the backseat of the limousine, safe and sound. Gankyo-kun was quiet as Tachibana-san started the car. I was trying to catch my breath. When I did, I turned to Gankyo-kun.

"Ya!" I scolded him without thinking twice. "What's the matter with you? Vendor-san was really nice and the food was great. Why do you have to admonish him like that? How can you be so rude to people? You're really nice to Akiko when she's actually a—" I bit my lip. Oh my god, I almost slipped! "Anyway, why do you have to be so rude to me, to Vendor-san? Just because we're commoners, doesn't mean we're lesser human."

"Is that's what you think?" he drawled. His voice and his eyes made me feel smaller.

"Uhm—yes." My voice was weak, I stuttered.

"Yes," he told me. "You're right." He sat back on his seat, the back of his head pressing against the headrest. "I don't receive any merit from you, that's why I'm rude. I'll tell you a secret." He glanced at me. "I'm not a very nice person."

"I've already established that," I told him.

"That's good."

"Uhm, Gankyo-kun?"

"What is it, Obaasan?"

"I'm still hungry."

*Gankyo means glasses in Japanese. In the manga, Hatori mentioned how she procured Kyouya's name and she revealed it was from the 'Kyo' of Gankyo. Lol. So from now on, Ashina's going to refer Kyouya as Gankyo-kun or Kyo-kun.

**On previous chapters, I never mentioned them exchanging birthdays before, but allow me to say Kyouya's birthday was listed on the calendar function on the yellow handy phone and she accidentally found out about it. Yes, I know. How fickle. But to make things simpler, let's just leave it that way.

Note: It's currently autumn in this story so it's around October.


	10. Nine

Be My Girlfriend

Chapter Nine

o oo o

It always felt like flying.

The adrenaline pumping, the strong force of the wind against your face, the pungent smell of the rubber, the sound of your heavy panting. Although it may seem like a hyperbole, I've always imagined flying was like that. Flying has always been associated with freedom since birds always seemed carefree whenever the soar up in the air and go wherever they desired. Men always longed for a tool for escape, e.g. wings. Men always wished for things they can never have. For me, because humans were not equipped with appendages used for flying, their legs were always their best weapon for escape. I, for instance, consider my feet as the best equipment for breaking free.

Track has always been my passion since I was a child. It provided me solace, a time to run away from the reality when your only world is the track, the rubber and your determination to finish the trail—when your only world is the sound of your heavy breathing after reaching the finish line. It was peace to me.

I crouched down, eyes closed, breathing in the fresh autumn air and trying to concentrate on my only goal. Opening my eyes slowly, I stared straight ahead. Exactly a hundred meters away, there stood my coach with a small, red flag on one hand and a blue timer hand watch on the other. I waited for his signal and as soon as he lowered the flag, I quickly broke into a run.

In eleven seconds, you can type about fifty characters in a keyboard without stopping to look at the computer screen. In eleven seconds, your conscious mind can process 176 bits of information, the unconscious mind, 121 million. In eleven seconds, a lot can still happen and change the ending of a close-fight basketball match. But in eleven seconds, even I could not finish a hundred meter lap without wondering later on, what exactly went wrong.

According to the latest tabs my coach kept for me, my hundred-meter record was 12.23 seconds. Before I came to this school, it was 13.02 and I was happy to see that I've improved over the past few weeks. Today, my latest tab would read 12.00. Only a second less and I would beat Akagi Takamura, the top hundred-meter dash athlete in our district. For a few, it may seem like an easy job to be able to run a second less than 12.00 but for me, it would take a great deal of effort, a few more weeks and a couple more stamina boosters to beat that guy. I had to, of course. I knew that. In no less than a month, the district competition would take place. In no less than a month, I had to get ready and prepare for my match.

"So far, you're doing a great job," my track coach spoke with a smile, while patting my back as I panted. Droplets of sweat dribbled down the side of my face. I took the hand towel he offered and dabbed my sweat with it after muttering my thanks. "11.54 seconds. You're not far behind."

"Really?" I snapped my head up to see if he was really telling the truth. "Really? I did that?"

He nodded vigorously, his expression seemingly overwhelmed. I, too, felt more than pleased. He spoke again, "Although your chart seemed to fluctuate a bit last week, at least you've shown me how much you've improved. Just stick on the diet list I gave you and try to keep your stamina balanced. You'll do better."

I nodded with a smile on my face. "Yes, coach."

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then," he told me while patting my shoulder to gesture his farewell. He began to walk away.

"How about later after school?" I called after him and he waved a hand. He didn't look back, however.

"Since you did a good job, I'll give you a break!"

I chuckled lightly; partly thankful of the spare time he just awarded me. "Thank you!" The truth is, I heard the rumors from a few upperclassmen talking about my coach dating a cute substitute teacher from the elementary department. My hard work was just probably his excuse, but I was still thankful nonetheless.

I sat on the stone benches alongside the oval while trying to catch my breath and clear my head for a while when Misaki-senpai approached me. After briefly exchanging our pleasantries, he sat beside me and offered a bottle of distilled water and a smile.

"No thanks," I told him while wiping the sweat off my forehead.

"You need to be hydrated," he said, insisting.

"It's really inconvenient. I'll hydrate later." Ever since I entered track, I've been told not to drink water after a run. It helps improve stamina.

Silence took over for a while as I waited for Misaki-senpai to find the right words to start the conversation I knew would soon come. As much as he can, he never left the air dead.

"Ah!" he screamed so suddenly, I nearly fell off my seat in surprise. I snapped my head to one side to look at him.

"What?"

"There's something different about you today," he told me while tipping his head to one side, as if deep in thought. "A new haircut? No, no," he pondered aloud.

"Did you grow taller?" he asked suspiciously.

"As far as I know, no." I would be glad if it were true though. Otherwise, I would still need a few more stretching exercises. Besides, longer legs would help better in sprinting.

"Ah! I know!"

"Misaki-senpai, you're creeping me out. Say it already."

"You've gotten prettier," he spoke with a demure smile, like a high school girl confessing to a boy she liked. I guffawed at his silliness. He shook his head. "No, I'm serious. That hair clip looks really good on you."

"Eh?" I ran my finger up to fiddle on my hair where the clip Kyo-kun gave me held my bangs in place.

"Your face looks neater without your bangs on."

I flushed slightly and muttered my thanks before he chuckled and said that I looked cuter when I blushed. I punched the side of his stomach so he would stop, only after I blushed deeper red.

"Did Kyouya give that to you?" he asked, his voice a little more serious.

"Eh? How did you know?"

His smile made me think that he knew something that I didn't. "I have my sources." He leaned closer to whisper to my ear. "The truth is, I'm the host club's stalker."

I looked at him warily, suddenly suspicious. Frowning, I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. Misaki-senpai seemed to notice my apprehension and thus began, "That, Rei-chan, is a joke."

I blinked carefully and after processing what he just told me, I gave him another blow, and this time, on his ribcage. "Ow. That hurt."

"Why do you find it amusing to make fun of me?"

"No, no. I was only teasing you. You're really fun to tease." He recovered soon and laughed for another round. I frowned at him, suddenly having the urge to strangle him and chuck him in the nearest garbage can.

"Well, sorry for being a fun-to-tease-kouhai!"

"Like I said, I was only joking," his smile turned apologetic. "But really. The truth is, I have someone I like from the host club."

I jumped again, surprised at what he just revealed. Clapping my hand over my mouth, I gasped and pointed a reproachful finger at the guy beside me. "Don't tell me you're a—a—"

I made sure no one around or close enough to hear the rest of my words. I leaned closer to Misaki-senpai, tugged his tie down to make up for our height discrepancy and whispered on his ear, "—a homo."

I shuddered at the word.

For a moment, he was quiet. I let go of his tie and watched as he blinked rapidly to process my words. When I figured they did, he hurled forward in laughter. Bewildered, I pulled him up again, grabbed his shoulders and shook him slightly, as if trying to wake him up. "What? Er—why didn't you tell me earlier?"

He stopped for a second or two, and I wrinkled my eyebrows to tell him how confused I really was. He laughed again. "Why are you laughing?"

"Ha-ha!" He wiped the tears of his mirth away. "I didn't know you had a wild imagination! Of course, I'm not a homo! You're being silly!"

"Then what is it?" He was beginning to creep me out again. As far as I know, all the members of the host club were all male.

"It's Haruhi," he finally said. His voice turned sincere and quieter, as if nostalgic. "We attended the same middle school and ever since, she's been really pretty, even now. It's a pity she cut her hair but it's not about the looks that I fell for. It's her strong personality."

Wait. She? Haruhi-kun is a girl? Ow, my head hurts. "What are you talking about? Haruhi-kun is a guy!"

"She's a girl!" he insisted. "I have no idea why she's pretending to be a guy, or if the host club knows her real identity but Haruhi is a girl."

"How can you be sure she's your Haruhi. Haruhi-kun could be any guy with the same name, you know."

"I've been in love with the same girl for four years and you're telling me she's not Haruhi? Who are you kidding?"

My head really hurts. It was too much to process.

Silence passed, as I tried to comprehend what I just learned, or if there was any rationality behind Misaki-senpai's revelation. Haruhi-kun is male. Why did he kept on insisting she was a girl. Ah, wait. Didn't Misaki-senpai say they attended the same middle school. If that was the case, Misaki-senpai was telling the truth.

"If you really like Haruhi, why didn't you confess to her?"

"AH! Ow, ow!" I jumped at his odd reaction. "A bee bit me. Ow! It hurts."

"There aren't any trees nearby!" I knew he was avoiding the question. "Ah! Don't tell me . . . you chickened out?"

He rubbed his ear. "Uh, come again? For a moment I lost my sense of hearing. Can you repeat what you just said?"

"I said—!"

"It must be the bee. I really can't hear you."

I was right. He was avoiding it.

There was silence again and I waited for things to settle in so Misaki-sempai would stop acting childish. Soon, he broke it as he cleared his throat.

"I was scared," he began with a low voice. "Haruhi was really popular with boys back then (though she's 'till popular until now, only with a different audience) and a lot of guys confessed to her. All of them got all rejected."

"So you were scared of being rejected?"

"Yes." His smile was different, it was . . . forlorn. "At most times, I was happy watching her from afar, thrilled when I'd get a chance to talk to her on quiz bees and IQ contests outside school but sometimes, I wish we could get closer. I thought about confessing many times before but . . . all attempts were hopeless."

"Even so! You should have confessed!"

"Like I said, I was scared."

"Getting rejected doesn't matter, as long as you're honest with your feelings! You're worse than a homo!"

He opened his mouth to argue back but words fled him. He sighed wearily and stared far ahead. "Tch. You're right."

"I am right!" I thumped my chest to emphasize my point.

Silence reigned once again and Misaki-senpai broke it just as quickly. "How about you? How did you and Kyouya get together?"

"Eh? Gankyo-kun?" I spoke with an annoyed tone. "We're not really together. We're just pretend—AH!" Oh god, I slipped. "AH! Ow. A bee stung me! Ow! It really hurts!"

I tried to avoid eye contact but I could feel Misaki-senpai's eyes looking at me suspiciously. "So, you were just pretending, huh?"

"Pardon? I can't hear you properly. It's the bee! The bee!"

"Don't worry!" Misaki-senpai assured me. "I'm not going to tell anyone. We're like . . . 'Secret Partners.'" He joked while winking. I stared at him for a while, asking for reassurance. He responded with a smile.

"Yes, Secret Partners," I repeated while giving him a thumbs up to tell him I agreed. "I'm not going to tell Haruhi-chan—er, Haruhi-kun about your secret. I won't tell anyone about her secret either.

He copied my gesture. "That's right. We're Secret Partners!"

o oo o

Later that afternoon, after I've washed up, I met Ruka on her way to History. I caught up with her soon enough and grabbed her arm to catch her attention.

"Ruka," I spoke her name and she stopped, spun her head around and scowled the moment our eyes met. Friday, she avoided me. By weekend, we didn't really have the chance to talk since 1) I got lost on my way to her house, 2) my money was stolen and 3) Kyo-kun held me back yesterday. Monday morning, she avoided me. This gibberish had to come to an end.

"What's wrong with you?" I moaned, worry and concern washing over my reaction. "You've been avoiding me lately and I'm supposed to be your friend. I'm freaking out, trying to figure out what's wrong. Talk to me."

"Friend?" Ruka scoffed unwelcomingly. "You call yourself a friend? You went against my back and stabbed me and you call yourself a friend?"

"What are you talking about?" I didn't understand her at all. I couldn't even remember I did anything wrong that upset her. "I've been worried."

Ruka spoke with a sardonic smile. "Worried? You don't even care about me!"

"Of course I care!" I argued back desperately. "I won't ask you what the matter was and think of something to help you if I didn't care in the first place!"

"Aiya, you really don't have any idea, do you?" She crossed her arms and glowered at me. "You're so dense. You're so slow; even a turtle is better than you!"

"Ha?"

Suddenly, a strange feeling of déjà vu washed over me.

"Anyway," she continued, now a tone lower. "Don't talk to me for a while. I'm still mad at you."

With a last grimace, she turned her back on me and walked away.

"A turtle?" I repeated quietly while making my way after her. "What's with the turtle? Wait! Ruka! Wait for me!"

After class, Shiki gave me a call and asked if I could drop by the convenience store after my part-time job on the cafe. I asked him why, he told me he won't tell, but I told him I'd make sure I'd go see him later before four—

"Who is that?" I jumped at the sudden sound and almost dropped the handy phone on the floor. Just as I was about to end the call, Gankyo-kun surprised me with a sneer and a dangerous glint on his rounded glasses.

"Uhm," I began while snapping the phone close and dug it into the pocket of my jeans. I changed to civilian clothes long after classes finished. "Shiki. Ei—it was Shiki."

"What did he call for?" he asked, his eyes still hidden from the reflection of light on his glasses. His lips curved upwards slightly, but it gave off an ominous feeling. His mere presence, in fact, always impressed doom on me.

"Er—he's asking me to drop by his work place tonight," I told him truthfully. Lying, I knew, would only press me deeper to the black hole I was in, especially when I was lying around Gankyo-kun.

"And you were planning to not tell me about it?"

I blinked once, probably twice. I shuffled forward to get close to him, leaned an inch more and whispered. "Aren't we just pretending? Why do you have to ask?"

"It's because I want to know." His 'Intimidate Rei' powers were starting to work on me again.

"You don't have to know," I said, which was entirely true. Unless . . . "AH—!" I clapped a hand on my mouth in shock. "Don't tell me—are you jealous?"

The wink and the smile I gave him did not abash his calm composure. Right. I should not have said that. I should not have said that. I should not have said that. I looked away from him; I didn't want to see his face.

"Sometimes," he began, while pointing a finger at me. "You do better if you listen to me very well. You can start by answering my phone calls and responding to my e-mail. They are far more important than this—" He lips twisted downward. "Never mind."

A few students walked past and suddenly, Kyo-kun gripped my wrist tight and pulled me closer. He leaned in and next thing I knew, something soft pressed on my forehead. I heard a few squeals nearby and when Kyo-kun let go, I stared at him with a confused expression. I ran my fingers to my forehead where he pressed something on and rubbed the spot. "What was that for?"

"To refute wrong rumors. They're somewhat getting out of hand." For the first time, I saw Kyo-kun smile. He turned to the students who had walked by and nodded curtly with another smile. I heard a few whispers as they walked away.

"...so that's why Kyo-kun never hosted..."

"...always thought he was a homo..."

"Come on. I'll drive you to your work place."

o oo o

I arrived at the convenient store a little past four. I travelled it by feet while pondering along the way on what Kyouya just did. It was probably for pretend, but wasn't the charade only for Akiko to see?

Ah, wait.

"To refute wrong rumors," I repeated what Kyo-kun just said. "And 'always thought he was a homo,' huh?"

I knew it. "A homo." Who wouldn't have guessed?

"Why are you muttering to yourself?" Shiki greeted with a warm smile. I stepped inside the convenient store, the familiar tinkling sound echoing on my ears like music.

"I knew it. He was a homo. That's probably why Akiko broke up with him," I told Shiki with a serious look on my face. "Should I dump him?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked me with a questioning look.

"Ah." Right. I shouldn't be talking about this to anyone else. Only Kyo-kun and I knew about it. Oh, and Misaki-senpai too, because we're Secret Partners. "Never mind. Anyway, why did you call?"

"Nothing," he spoke while shrugging unknowingly. "I just . . . wanted to see you."

"Hn?"

"Anyway, come here." He gestured me to the chair him. I shuffled forward to the counter and I noticed something was amiss. I voice this aloud and Shiki returned me with an innocent look on his face.

"You look . . . different," I told him while tipping my head to one side. I moved closer, invading his personal space. He backed away slightly. "AH! You cut your hair! It's shorter now."

He gave me a brief round of applause while hooting, "Excellent observation, Ashina Rei!" He patted my head gently like he used to, then ran his fingers through his hair, combing it. "I dyed it a lighter color too."

"Yeah," I agreed while nodding. I reached over to touch his soft mane. "What happened to your black hair?"

"It's naturally chocolate brown. I cut it shorter but it's still long enough to tie it back."

"Hm," I began, not knowing what to say. I've known Shiki ever since I came to this town and he's been my first friend. As I've known him, he worshipped his hair more than anything else. He didn't want anyone else to touch it (except for the store's manager and the a few selected people he was close to—on bad days, he excludes me) and it somewhat bothered me that he actually had a haircut. He's been sporting his long, black hair for as long as I've been around.

"What?" he asked, seemingly noticing my unusual silence.

I bit my lip and responded awkwardly, "Are you Shiki?"

He chuckled quietly before replying. "Of course I am! What—I can't have a haircut on my birthday?"

"Oh." My lips formed to a comical 'o' while nodding slowly in understanding. "Now I get it."

Wait.

"Your birthday?"

I spun around, ran to the direction of the calendar to check the date. October 10th. Oh my.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I snapped at him.

"As expected," he muttered loudly, his lips quirking. "You've forgotten."

"I didn't forget!" I retorted rather defensively. "I just forgot the date!"

"Did you prepare a present beforehand then?"

"Uhm—" The truth is; I haven't. I had to think of an acceptable excuse. Think. Think. Ah! "I was planning to buy on your birthday!"

"Really?" he raised an eyebrow suspiciously. I looked away from him.

"Ah, yes."

"So," he began. "How about it?"

"Eh?" I asked dumbly.

"After my shift," he spoke, pointing a finger at me. "You go treat me out. Didn't you promise me that once?"

Promise? Ah, yes. I gave him a smile and thumbs up of reassurance. "Sure."

o oo o

It was a cheap fast food chain around town; Shiki understood how broke I was at the moment. Besides, I was trying to complete my savings so I could pay Kyo-kun half of what I owed him.

Drinks were served in small paper cups and Shiki insisted I ordered tea. We ordered karaage and ate our meals while slipping a few words and laughs in between. After dinner, we hit the streets and Shiki walked me to the dry market as I looked around for items that I could hand to Shiki as a present. I found something appropriate: an orange hair band. He accepted it thankfully as he tried it on. We laughed about it afterwards.

Night had long settled and when I checked my watch, it read half past eleven. Shiki said it was late so he'd walk me home. I dismissed him quickly; I still have something in mind.

"Besides," I told him. "There are still thirty minutes left on your birthday. Let's go."

Shiki protested heavily while I pulled him to a run. We stumbled upon a convenient store and brought two sticks of cheap fireworks.

"What are those for?" Shiki asked curiously, as I led him to the empty riverbank, where it was quiet. We could ignite the fireworks there.

"For your birthday, of course!" I told him as if it were a statement of fact. "Well, because you didn't have a birthday cake, these may serve as a substitute."

Fireworks, as what Len had told me, drove away bad spirits and rotten luck. We always lit fireworks together when we were younger and it has always been a part of our annual routine during birthdays.

Shiki and I settled at the far end of the riverbank, exactly right under a tall tree, a few meters away from a tall lamp post. I checked my watch again; it was five minutes before midnight—five minutes before Shiki's birthday would end. Len always told me it would be a lot more significant if you light the fireworks before your birthday ends. He didn't, however, told me what significance it actually held. I didn't bother to ask; I didn't care nonetheless. Lighting fireworks was fun enough for me that answers didn't really matter.

Shiki took out a matchstick and lit both the firework-sticks. As soon as the flame of the matchstick kissed the end of our fireworks, the sticks cackled brilliantly, both illuminating our faces. I couldn't help but smile. I turned to look at Shiki's expression, and we shared the same expression.

"This is really fun!" I told him, a laugh threatening to escape my lips.

"Ha-ha!" His voice was light and hearty. "Look at yours. It's burning faster than mine."

"Well, sorry then!" I pouted rather childishly.

"This is fun." His smile was still there, seemingly permanent. I relished watching him enjoy the moment. It was his birthday, after all.

"Ano," I began, tugging his shirt to catch his attention. He looked at me with a curious expression. "Thanks for being born."

I waited for the words to settle in. His blank, confused stare somewhat took me aback. The flame of the fireworks was extinguished soon. First mine, followed by Shiki's and suddenly, I couldn't see his face. My eyes had trouble adjusting with the darkness.

For the second time that day, something soft pressed on my forehead and I had to blink rapidly to get used with the lack of light, only to end up disappointed. Shiki spoke softly but enough for me to hear, "Thank you."

o oo o

**A/N:** After Gankyo-kun and Obaasan's comical relationship, there goes the Secret Partners. LOL. Ruka and Rei's argument was supposed to sound non-serious. It turned out badly, I guess. Tell me what 'ya think.

And please do check these fan-arts out (I made them a few weeks ago to get the writer's block away):

_Rei Ashina_: http(colon)(double slash)moi-paints-a-smile(dot)deviantart(dot)com(slash)art(slash)Ashina-Rei-163677497

_Rei and Kyouya holding hands_: http(colon)(double slash)moi-paints-a-smile(dot)deviantart(dot)com(slash)art(slash)Don-t-Let-Go-163678789

_A News Article on the Couple_ (five years later) - this may be a spoiler though but there are still no solid plans on the ending: http(colon)(double slash)moi-paints-a-smile(dot)deviantart(dot)com(slash)art(slash)Ootori-Kyouya-News-Article-164223552

Just change the words on parentheses with their respective punctuations. We all know Fanfiction is screwed. Although there are also links on my profile, if you want an easier way. Anyway, do drop by on those URL and enjoy. Thanks! :)


	11. Omake

OMAKE

Undesirable Confession

A/N: It's official: I lost my decency to write fanfictions properly. Reason: RL biting on me. I'm struggling but worry not. As soon as I get my groove back it'll be big time.

"I like you! Please go out with me!"

A square, white envelope perched atop the boy's outstretched palms as he sputtered the words out in a barely intelligible bark. He was shaking uncontrollably, as blood rose quickly to his head making it look like a swollen tomato with a bob of black, unruly hair. Two persons stood in front of him; Kyouya watched in obscure revulsion, his glare hidden from the reflection of the light on his glasses. Ashina, who stood frozen beside him, blinked more than it was necessary, making her look like she was having an epileptic attack.

The words resounded deafeningly on the empty corridor where they were and an unnerving silence hung heavily in the air. The boy had his back bent uncomfortably with his arms outstretched forward, his eyes glued on his shoes as he waited for the silence to pass. Talk about awkward.

"Please consider my feelings in this letter!"

Ashina jumped back in surprise, as the reality of the situation dawned on her. "Um—er—" Swallowing the lump on her throat audibly, she opened her mouth to speak, only to end up stuttering her words until she eventually lost them. It was an unsettling sight to watch, like an epic fail movie gone horribly worse.

Unable to bear it anymore, Kyouya cleared his throat while elbowing Ashina on the arm. She lost her balance slightly and only then did she have any chance to clear her mind.

"Er—"

Ashina bent forward to level her head with the boy's face. Her smile was awkward, making it look more like a grimace than an attempt to ease the tension. Kyouya mentally complimented her failed acting ability. Nobody else could have done any better.

"I'll read it first," she spoke quietly while taking the letter from his hands. The boy's head jerked slightly upward, the back of it slamming against Ashina's forehead nastily. Both recoiled while clutching their sore spot as Kyouya rolled his eyes in frustration. The boy apologized quickly, after bowing six or seven times (Kyouya lost count) until the Ootori blew him off and the boy took his flight.

"Well, that was stupid," Kyouya commented somewhat lazily, while watching Ashina stand up from her curled position of the floor as the girl rubbed the now reddish mark between her eyebrows.

"That really hurt," she muttered accordingly, her eyes travelling to the small piece of paper clutched between her fingers.

"Well," Kyouya spoke impatiently while raising one eyebrow.

"Well what?" Ashina looked at him with a curious expression.

"Read it." It was an order.

In dealing with Ootori Kyouya, one must remember two important things. First rule of life: listen. Second rule of life: don't talk back. Both are mandatory, subject to patent and absolute compliance.

"That would be impolite!" Ashina argued stubbornly, while moving the letter away from his reach.

One look and a single raise of his brow were all it took for Ashina to bite her tongue and cease her attempt for rebound. Grudgingly, she tore the paper open and unfolded the neat stationery inside.

The boy, they learned as she read aloud, was a year their junior and a devoted athlete like Ashina. He had his eye on her ever since he watched her practice track. "You are really pretty, incomparable among others," she mumbled quietly but it was loud enough for Kyouya to hear. Her smile reached her ears, he noticed, and Ashina rubbed her cheeks almost subconsciously, stroking the blotches of crimson that pooled beneath the skin.

"What do you think you're doing, all flushed like that?" Kyouya snapped while prodding her with his elbow.

"What's wrong with that?" she raised back. Her lips puckered childishly, stubbornly. "It's not everyday I find a guy who compliments me like this."

Kyouya closed his eyes and fought the urge to rebut her once more. He pushed his glasses up, just for something to do and motioned her to continue reading.

"Whenever I watch you run, you always look like flying and it makes me want to love track even more. I want to get closer to you, princess! Allow me to send you to the palace of your dreams!"

"What's with that?" Kyouya reacted in horror and added, "You're acting like a maggot soaked in a pool of vinegar. Will you stop moving like a rabbit in heat?"

"Tch," Ashina snapped a look at him, as if reprimanding. "Why do you have to be such a spoilsport?"

"I'm not a spoilsport," he told her quietly, his self-possession regaining. "What if somebody else sees you squirm like that while reading a letter from a different guy? They'll misunderstand."

"Why do you—AH! Don't tell me you're jealous?"

Kyouya sighed audibly. "Let me see that," he reached his hand to pull the letter from Ashina's grasp and realization hit him like a bucket of cold water.

He recognized the handwriting from anywhere. No wonder the boy acted so . . . unnatural. He's seen people confess before and the previous incident was simply something out of the ordinary. He should have known earlier. The tone of the letter, he realized just now, was actually familiar. That unusually sugary drone sounded resolutely on his ears—it was utterly out of character for a shy, distraught boy to have written this kind of letter. He should have seen it better before.

The moment Kyouya glanced from behind, a pair of red heads accompanied by a hint of a blond one went instantly under a bunch of rose bushes not far from where he and Ashina stood. A pair of dark-colored binoculars lay uselessly beside the shrubs and an un-embodied hand groped around for it until it was pulled out of sight.

The look on Kyouya's face could have mass-murdered a colony of innocent kittens. A few feet away from their location, an execution chamber was being prepared for three, particularly rich bastards.

Post A/N: Okay, that was just . . . *allow me to find the right words to say.* A clichéd, fail-humor chapter. I disappoint myself.


End file.
